By: AB G

Since January, there have been about 20,000 wild boars spreading the deadly African Swine Fever to pigs in Rome. This is a huge problem and will need many hunters to help solve it. Pigs affect 100,000 businesses and if they get sick the economy could get worse.

Although humans and pets will not get harmed or affected by African Swine Fever, pigs will. This disease will kill 98 percent of pigs who get it. There have been over 10 outbreaks of African Swine Fever in Europe in the past 10 years. For example, in 2021 Romania suffered an outbreak or in 2020.

Not only is this outbreak affecting pigs greatly, but it is also affecting the owner’s financial industries. China and Japan both have put a temporary ban on Italian pork because of this disease. The boars are so deadly to the pigs that some farmers even got together to protest for the right of their pigs. The U.S. may also temporarily stop importing Italian meats. Italy is scared about this happening.

The goal to get rid of the boars by trapping all of them. The city of Rome has set up many traps near Rome’s Great Ring Junction, a long orbital motorway that encircles Rome, and some trashcans have been blocked off to keep boars out. Rome has also banned picnics for now because boars will attack people if they have a lot of food. Residents cannot feed or touch them as well since then they will keep wanting to come back.

However, some people have been attacked by boars, for example, the singer Shakira. She stated that her son and her were in Barcelona and a wild boar took her bag with her phone in it. There has been curfew added to some neighborhoods because a wild boar attacked a lady in which she got pushed to the ground and it resulted in some injuries. The curfew means that people must be inside their houses by a certain time in the evening and not leave until the morning. This helps against boar attacks because boars are active at night and if there are not as many people out, not as many people will get hurt.