Ganghwa County Operates Harmful Wildlife Capture Unit During Farming Season

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Shin Eun-seop] Ganghwa County announced on the 12th that it will operate a capture unit from the 14th of this month through the 30th of next month to minimize crop damage caused by harmful wildlife.

This year, officially registered complaints for harmful wildlife capture have reached approximately 200 cases, and when unreported complaints are taken into account, the actual figure is estimated to be significantly higher.

In particular, musk deer, a representative harmful wildlife species, damages crops during the spring sowing season by consuming sweet potato vines, soybean sprouts, and young pepper leaves, requiring farmers to replant crops.

Furthermore, during the harvest season, numerous crops including rice are damaged, and with the increase in the population of resident wild birds such as feral ducks, damage from root destruction before the establishment period of crops such as rice and soybeans is increasing annually, making population control urgently necessary.

In response, the county has allocated 120 million won in project funds and plans to proceed with harmful wildlife capture to reduce damage to farming households.

Additionally, the county has decided to improve the compensation payment system for capture, which previously only provided payment during periods of capture unit operation such as winter and harvest seasons, by providing a certain amount of compensation for capture activities during normal times.

A county official stated, "We plan to conduct safety education to prevent firearm accidents resulting from harmful wildlife capture and maintain a close cooperative system with the capture unit."