New measures against wild boars.

Damage to crops caused by wild boars amounts to about 5 billion yen annually. Wild boars have a high fertility, and according to the results of wild bird and beast population estimates by the Ministry of the Environment using statistical methods , the wild boar population has tripled from 30 years ago.

As the number of individuals increases, the damage to crops increases accordingly, but it not only damages crops but also deprives farmers of their motivation to continue farming, resulting in more people quitting farming. As a countermeasure against wild boars, many local governments are actively catching and exterminating wild boars by setting up traps.

Recently, in addition to catching and exterminating wild boars, new measures have been taken to keep wild boars out of fields, home gardens, garbage storage areas, etc. In this article, I would like to introduce some of them.

Wolf robot "Super Monster Wolf"

As a measure to keep wild boars away from fields, etc., it is common to install protective fences such as electric fences. However, wild boars have a high learning ability, and when they learn that "this fence can be entered", they will try to break through the fence regardless of some difficulties.

Fences are the last line of defense to protect fields from wild boars, so new measures must be taken as soon as they are breached. This is where scare measures to keep wild boars at bay come into play, but simple scare devices become ineffective as wild boars get used to them.

Based on this, Ohta Seiki of Naie Town, Hokkaido developed the wolf robot "Super Monster Wolf".

The device is 65 cm long and 50 cm high. The device itself is covered with a mask to make it look like a wolf, the natural enemy of wild boars.

More than 50 types of threatening sounds can be produced, and it is designed so that wild boars do not get used to it. In addition, when an infrared sensor detects an approaching animal, the light-emitting diode (LED) in the eye flashes red and shakes its head left and right to threaten it.

Ota Seiki has been working on the development of LED bird and animal repellent devices from early on, and the know-how is also utilized in Super Monster Wolf. Because wild boars are highly alert, they take evasive action when they sense something different from their usual behavior. Therefore, if you place Super Monster Wolf around the fields, it is expected that wild boars will not approach. Ohta Seiki Homepage>>

Ultrasonic device that boars dislike

In Hiroshima Prefecture, wild boars are invading human habitats one after another. Therefore, there are many voices calling for measures to keep wild boars away from urban areas.

Therefore, Onomichi City has started a project to keep wild boars away from the urban area, "Project to keep wild boars and other harmful animals away" by utilizing the priority research projects and regional problem solving research of Prefectural University of Hiroshima. As part of this project, a device that emits ultrasonic waves was installed near a residential area in Onomichi on the 6th of this month.

This device was jointly developed by Prefectural University of Hiroshima and a private company, and can irradiate a wide range of ultrasonic waves at frequencies that cannot be detected by the human ear. The purpose is to intimidate wild boars that have intruded into a designated area with ultrasonic waves and make them escape.

Past studies have confirmed that although wild boars do not dislike ultrasonic waves, they show a repelling response at specific frequencies. It was confirmed that this device was effective in repelling wild boars. If the effectiveness of this method can be confirmed again this time, it is expected that it will be possible to keep even wild boars accustomed to humans away from the fields.

U-shaped groove with grating "Watarenai"

A grating is a ditch cover made of steel materials arranged in a grid pattern. It is used for U-shaped ditches, side ditches, sidewalks, etc. for drainage on roads.

The U-shaped groove with grating "Watarenai" is a U-shaped groove with grating that allows people and cars to pass without problems, but makes it difficult for wild boars and deer to pass. "Watarenai" has a hexagonal grating structure with a diameter of 8 cm and a depth of about 4 cm, so that even if a wild boar tries to enter, it will not be able to maintain its balance because of its hooves.

This is something to keep in mind when setting up tying traps ( reference article ), but if a wild boar finds a place where it can't hold its feet firmly, it will withdraw its legs instead of stepping through. Be careful not to get wobbly and unstable).

In addition, they are highly cautious, so it is expected that they will turn back without passing through areas where "Watarenai" is installed. https://youtu.be/nqA-kFkD0cM When installing a wire mesh or fence, if the entrance is completely enclosed, people and cars will not be able to enter and exit, but the entrance will be empty. I can't go to Therefore, if you use "Watarimasu" as a road countermeasure, you can prevent wild boars from entering even at entrances where fences cannot be installed.

In a verification study of "Watarenai", it was said that there was an intrusion prevention effect of over 90%. "Watarenai" homepage>>

summary

The main axis of current wild boar countermeasures is to control the number of wild boars by capturing and exterminating them.

Comprehensive measures are desired, such as creating an environment to keep wild boars out of the area, improving the awareness of residents, and improving facilities. Even if there is a shortage of manpower, there is a need for a new wild boar countermeasure that can cover it.