Wild boars threaten Japanese towns

Wild boars may look harmless, but this man isn't laughing.

Wild boars around the world:

"A Japanese cameraman getting knocked to the ground by that wild boar on the street."

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the 30-year-old Asahi TV cameraman was taken to the hospital, where he received stitches for bites on his leg. He says the animal just started biting him.

At that point, he said, "I thought, 'what are you doing?'" The media were reportedly responding to reports of wild boar attacks in the area.

The Daily Mail notes wild boars are becoming a problem in Japan, and cites Quartz as saying that the decline of hunting in the country is mainly to blame.

According to the Japan Daily Press, since 1970, the number of hunters in the country has fallen by half, and of the 200,000 left, 65% are men over the age of 60. The hobby hasn't caught on with Japan's younger male population.

Japanese women in their 20s and 30s are becoming more interested in hunting which, until recently, has been a traditionally male activity.

According to the Japan Daily Press, Japan's Ministry of Environment calculates that overpopulation of wild boar and deer have caused an estimated 20 billion yen of damage per year since 2009 -- that's $200 million US dollars per year.

In fact, last year the Japan Times reported how wild boars and cats are taking over Fukushima prefecture. After hydrogen explosions at the nearby nuclear power plant, evacuating residents were told they could not bring pets. Now, the animals roam the restricted zones looking for food.

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