I have a wildlife zoo

Netizens fell silent upon hearing this.

Are boars fierce?

Thinking about their charging and crashing behavior, and the scene of one biting an apple in half just now, they should be considered fierce.

But when compared to humans, it seems that humans are still a notch more ferocious.

No, it would be more accurate to call it cruelty.

Even the king of land, the strong and sturdy elephant with thick skin, cannot escape the fate of being killed by poachers and having its tusks harvested, despite being tough enough to withstand a few fierce lions attacking at once.

To the people waiting in the restaurant to enjoy wild boar, the creature might seem scary, but to the boar confined in a cage, wouldn't it feel that the bipeds outside are far more terrifying?

Fang Ye paused, giving the netizens some time to think before continuing, "Actually, wild boars, like all wildlife, are afraid of people. If you encounter a wild boar, don't be scared, because it will surely run away first. Just don't block its escape route, and you'll be fine.

As to whether you can eat wild boar, I must tell you that you can't. Although wild boars are not national first or second level protected animals, they are still protected by the 'Three Haves,' and hunting them is illegal. If you see any restaurant selling game, it's correct to report it to the police."

A netizen with quick wits immediately asked, "Then what if, when I'm driving, I accidentally run over a boar that bolts onto the road and hits my car, and it's not like I wanted to kill it, can I take the boar home to eat?"

"Of course! Just right to offset the car repair costs."

"You might even make a little profit, given how expensive pork is right now, a whole boar would weigh at least a hundred pounds."

"Sssslurp, it must be delicious barbecued." Continue your saga on empire

"I think red braised pork would be better!"

"No, listen to me, make it pork with preserved mustard greens! The aroma would be mouthwatering!"

"Could you even finish eating so much? Why not keep some and make cured meat out of it?"

"Watching you all discuss this is making me swallow my saliva uncontrollably, why do I suddenly feel hungry?"

The milk tea boar, after finishing its apple, was shrinking behind the tree stump, quietly observing Fang Ye who was live-streaming.

If it knew that the live chat was currently discussing various ways to cook boar meat, it might not have enjoyed the apple as much just now.

Fang Ye was amused by the netizens' discussion, saying, "No way! Not only does the law not allow it, but also all wild animals carry various bacteria, viruses, and parasites. If that's the case, the boar carcass should be taken away for harmless disposal.

If you take it home to eat, you might get sick. You should weigh the risks between life and the desire for culinary pleasure.

Moreover, compared to wild boars, aren't there domestic pigs? Why not eat the ones raised at home and instead, risk breaking the law, getting sick, and even losing your life just to ponder eating wild ones every day? A tough hide does not guarantee it's tastier than home pigs."

"Eh, okay then!"

"Just a joke, just a joke."

"Speaking of which, wild boars are protected animals too, but what's there to protect about boars? They've become such a menace and even damage crops."

"After all, there aren't many predators like tigers and leopards left now, so naturally, it's hard to control the boar population."

Fang Ye glanced at the live chat and said, "First of all, I want to correct a misconception that you might have. You see reports nowadays and might think that wild boars have become more prevalent in cities these past few years, so you feel like they're overrunning the place. But are they really?

Why do wild boars appear in cities? The boundaries of cities continuously expand outward, and inevitably, encounters between wildlife and humans have increased. You can't put all the blame on the boars, right?

Moreover, they need to find mates and reproduce, but the city has fragmented the natural habitats of wild animals, and they may need to traverse the city to find a partner in another forest.

Wild boars usually mate in late autumn or early winter, and this Milk Tea wild boar probably got lost on its quest for love."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hahaha, so that's how it is. I thought it came to the city looking for food, but it seems there is also a bit of romance?"

"It's kind of funny when the Park Director puts it that way. It didn't find a partner and ended up getting caught. Indeed, it's like dying before achieving one's aspirations, leaving the hero in tears."

"No wonder it's so scared yet still runs into the city."

Fang Ye said, "The presence of wild boars in the city doesn't necessarily mean they are overpopulated or that the ecology has improved. It could also mean that their habitats have become reduced and fragmented, forcing them to appear in the city.

As for the lack of predators like tigers, that's indeed part of the reason, but nature has a comprehensive ability to self-regulate. When the number of wild boars increases and their winter food is insufficient, their mortality rate will increase, and their breeding rate in the spring will decrease.

Disease is also a common way for nature to regulate population numbers. As the number of wild boars rises, the parasites in the soil will increase, leading to outbreaks of infectious diseases that decrease their numbers.

Regarding wild boars eating crops, this is a classic human-animal conflict issue. If you have followed me or visited our zoo, you may have heard a lot about it and should know some of the ways to handle such conflicts. I won't elaborate on that today.

Let's talk about the ecological value of wild boars instead!"

The ecological value of wild boars?

The online audience was somewhat curious; their impression of wild boars was mostly that they eat crops, charge around recklessly, and are eaten by people!

What ecological value could wild boars have? As food for tigers? But there are no tigers in the forests now.

Fang Ye said, "When everyone pays attention to wild boars, it's usually because they appear in the news, like venturing into the city or stealing corn from farmers, but corn is only ripe for a few days, and visiting the city happens only a few times a year.

Have you ever wondered what wild boars spend most of their time doing in the wild?"

He paused for a moment, giving the audience time to think, then continued, "Wild boars are omnivores; they eat everything. The most common thing they do is forage in the ground. They use their long snouts to dig around in the soil, searching for acorns, grass roots, seeds, and similar foods.

In this process, the soil makes full contact with the seeds, and air can mix better into the soil, making the earth more fertile, healthy, and teeming with life, suitable for seed germination. So, they're kind of like nature's gardeners.

In the turned soil, there might be some insects previously buried and inaccessible, from which birds can also benefit since they can't dig up the ground with their small beaks.

Wild boars are large and rugged and can carve out animal trails in dense and difficult-to-navigate parts of the forest, allowing smaller animals like Chinese muntjac, roe deer, rabbits, and badgers to use these trails to find food and mates farther afield."

"That's amazing!"

"Awesome!"

"Wild boars look so ordinary, but they've actually made quite a contribution behind the scenes!"

"Comrade wild boar, you've worked hard!"

The online audience was hearing this for the first time, and their perceptions of wild boars began to change.

Previously, they might not have given much thought to wild boars, feeling neutral since they hadn't encountered them personally.

Or, after hearing negative reports, they might think wild boars that eat crops were harmful and support culling them.

When it came to wild boar meat, they'd clamor about wanting to eat it, discussing various cooking methods.

Although most online commenters were joking and didn't seriously intend to eat wild boar, it was clear that they didn't really respect wild boars. They felt indifferent about their existence, viewing them with a somewhat mocking and spectating attitude.