Neighbours denounce the appearance of carcasses and dying animals that agonise for days.

This barbarity is happening in rural Gijón, particularly in the security areas, where firearms are prohibited. Hunters are indiscriminately slaughtering wild boar by order of the City Council. Neighbours are horrified by the appearance of animals dying for days, including pregnant females. For more than a year, the inhabitants of the rural area of Gijón have been constantly coming across decomposing corpses and dying animals hit by badly shot arrows.

TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Last December, Ms Ana González Rodríguez, Mayoress of Gijón City Council, renewed an agreement “of an exceptional nature” with the Asturian Association of Archery Hunters (ADECA) which aims to “prevent damage, accidents and even risk to people that may be caused by wild boar”, justifying their capture by this method in “security areas” where weapons are prohibited.

There are more than 20 areas where hunters are allowed to wait for hunters to kill the animals using arrows, which is equally dangerous and, according to witnesses, “is ineffective and causes suffering to the animals; when they miss, they spend days agonising until they die”.

This method is particularly dangerous and there is a high chance of missing and seriously injuring the animal without killing it. When they feel pain, they often run to escape, dying within hours or days from exsanguination or infection.

According to reports submitted by hunters, more than 200 animals have been killed between March and December 2021 alone (no maximum quota).

A cyclical problem
Animals enter urban areas in search of food because their natural environment has been totally affected by human expansion. The population increase is due to the disappearance of natural predators, also at the hands of hunters, and the release of game farms.

The local councils are obliged to provide solutions to the problems occurring in their areas of jurisdiction, but in no way can they do so by handing over control of rural areas to armed people.