S. Korea: Seoul Trembles at Wild Boar Invasion(Kim Jong-il's friends?)

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 11/04/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

Seoul Trembles at Wild Boar Invasion

The capital is under threat from an unlikely invasion after wild boars were sighted at several locations around the metropolitan area. Last month there were repeated sightings at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel; now a den that is home to scores of the aggressive beasts has been discovered in Achasan. A search of the mountains behind the hotel and the Achasan area by the Seoul Metropolitan Government confirms from traces of habitation that rogue animals are descending on the city.



In the Guri area of Gyeonggi Province, which borders Achasan, a boar entered a subterranean parking lot on Oct. 27, ramming a parked car and romping around for a while before disappearing back into the woods. On Oct. 24, wild boars showed up in Changkyong Palace, sending more than 300 visitors scampering for shelter, and on Oct. 19, there were several sightings of wild boars near the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjang-dong, Seoul. On Sept. 29, wild boars had ventured as far as Amsa-dong on the Han river and injured two people.

The mountain in the Achasan area is closed to civilians because it houses an emergency oil reserve, and its thick oak and chestnut cover make it an ideal habitat for the animals. "It appears that rogue males that were kicked out of the group due to territorial fights left in search of food and territory of their own," Seoul City said. “To ensure a safe hiking experience, people should use well-populated trails.”

Seoul City is distributing pamphlets with tips on what to do when encountering a wild boar to residents near Achasan and has assembled teams of professional hunters to capture the animals. Experts say an encounter with wild boars, which can weigh hundreds of kilograms, is a frightening moment, but if people keep calm they stand a good chance of escaping unhurt.

The most important thing, they say, is never to turn your back, since the beasts have weak eyesight and may not realize that you are running away, while moving objects upset them.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #20

Wild boars multiply because there is no tiger in both Koreas.

[MarkL]

I'm surprised that there are any feral animals in North Korea to begin with! You'd think that the starving people would be hunting them down... Or maybe the boars (which have a reputation for being pretty smart) have simply migrated southward due to hunting pressures, as well as a lack of food...

Mark

[Uncle Meat]

That was a joke about how there's hardly any wildlife in Korea because the Korean tigers would eat them all.They have a facination with tigers,but like you said,there isn't any.

[Grampa Dave]

No problem!

Wild Boar is delicious as the main meat in meals. It makes superb sausage and meat loaf.

Wild Boar bacon and ham are superb.

One needs to remember that Wild Boar are the orginal heirloom pigs/hogs.

It is a safe bet that Wild Boar are as scarce as dogs and cats in N Korea.

Shoot them, butcher them and enjoy eating them.

[patton]

Incredible. Chosan is clearly a much wealthier place than when I lived there as a lad - because pork on the hoof would not have made it 10 feet through south gate market, before it became sausage...