On January 26, on boulevard Cimiez, in the early evening, but also on March 10 on the beaches near Carras. Then, six days later, in Saint-Roch and on the Bellevue coast road in Nice. The nocturnal walks of wild boars in the city are more and more noticeable according to the filmed and shared testimonies of the inhabitants.
To the point where, the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes will organize administrative battles “in the coming weeks to prevent the risk of collision on the public highway and to fight against damage in agricultural land or gardens. [qu’ils retournent avec leur groin pour chercher des invertébrés à manger] “, she said.
It is the state services that are in charge of regulation, with “very strict safety rules”, when hunting “is not possible or not authorized”. This is the case in urban and peri-urban areas. But even if this control exists, their presence in France has increased in recent years.
More than 800,000 animals in France, between 6,000 and 7,000 in the Alpes-Maritimes
According to the National Office for Biodiversity, the population of these suids has doubled in twenty years. And for two seasons, their census, through the hunting tables and the number of damages compensated, exceeds 800,000 animals. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the levy amounts to between 6,000 and 7,000 wild boars per year, according to figures from the federation of hunters in the department.
And as these animals seek “peace”, like “uncleaned valleys, where they find shelter and shelter”, comments Serge Berenger, director of the federation of hunters in 06, they find refuge in these places in Nice. “These animals have been around since the dawn of time. But there has been a proliferation in recent times linked to an impediment to using weapons near cities,” he said. A measure that should “soon be settled”, he assures.
A less discreet population
Olivier Gerriet, zoologist at the Nice Natural History Museum, confirms that this species “has always been present”. “But there is no explosion, despite this upward trend,” he adds. We simply notice that they are there because they are less discreet. A wild boar population may have become accustomed to these refuge areas, where it is not hunted, and has developed a less fearful behavior than in the countryside. If they have reached the beaches, it is surely by following the water networks and being attracted by the smell of garbage bags. As omnivores, they find food in our waste. These ungulates do not see the difference between an urban place and the wild as long as they have the necessary food resources. »
The zoologist reminds us that the boar is wild and that we must “remain suspicious” if “we cross its path”. “There is no risk if he does not feel in danger, that is to say, stuck or cornered. I think we just have to take advantage of this moment because it can be rare for city dwellers to see these wild species, ”he says.
The specialist, but also the prefecture, reassures: the current tools are sufficient to regulate this species “likely to cause damage”, the new term used to qualify wild boars as “harmful”. Sometimes the unpredictable appearance of the wild animal nevertheless makes it difficult. In October 2021, in the town of Saint-André-de-la-Roche, during an administrative battle, shootings in the city center, near a school and a crèche, had aroused the excitement of the inhabitants.