Man shoots wild boar in the middle of a residential estate

Wild boar presence at Podzamcze estate is nothing new. As one of the residents tells us, the animals began to appear in the area with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following months they began to feel at home and got used to people. At some point, however, sows with their children appeared. Some residents started to fear the animals may be aggressive. After a number of failed attempts to capture the boars, the city approved a decision to cull them.

On early afternoon on Monday (December 6) a hunter arrived at the estate and began shoooting the boars.

"Middle of the estate in bright daylight, a man with a rifle is shooting animals in front of everybody. My neighbour was returning home with her kid after school and they bumped right into this guy. No one was informed that an armed man would be walking around the estate. No safety measures were applied. This man wasn't reacting to any remarks, nor did he provide any information. A city guard who assisted the hunter said the man was acting on the city hall's request," said Marta Wosak, a resident of the estate.

The hunter killed six animals, but not all the shots were fired with precision. Wosak said that one boar was dying in pain. The police were called to the neighbourhood.

"The hunter had all required permits, that is Polish Hunting Association ID-card and a culling licence. We are looking into this case, and we'll try to determine whether the law was broken," said Wałbrzych Police spokesman Marcin Świeży.

As we have been able to find out, it was not the man's first such outburst. Recenty, he has been removed from a hunting club in Głuszyca for inappropriate conduct.

"One time a woman from Łomnica asked him to do something about deer which were entering her yard. It was on the territory of another hunting club. The man did not care and shot at those animals. Another time he was sent to a hunting stand where he was to keep wild boar from approaching a farmer's house. Suddenly, he started to shoot in the direction of the farmer and his cows. An official complaint against him was filed," we heard from a local hunter who wanted to stay unnamed.

After these incidents, the hunting club in Głuszyca decided to remove the man from its ranks. He later applied for membership at other clubs, but he was rejected.

"Now our worst concerns have become reality. What happened in Podzamcze should have never taken place. It was like a western. We, the local hunting community, are outraged. This hunter had probably used a .30-06 calibre rifle, the biggest one allowed in hunting. The range of such weapon is five kilometres. Shooting at boar from a distance of a dozen or a few dozen metres is very dangerous. Such bullet goes through a body and ricochets further. I'm a wildlife shooting instructor and I would have never fired a single shot in such place," our interlocutor said.

On the day of the culling, Wałbrzych Mayor Roman Szełemej commented on the issue in social media.

"Wild boar are a big problem in Wałbrzych, but the situation which took place today, should never have happened. In our opinion, carrying out culling in so densely populated area is not only inhumane, but could also put the residents in danger," the mayor said.

He also informed he decided to notify the prosecutor's office about the incident.

The city hall also promised to look into the procedure of appointing this man for the job.