【Epoch Times, October 20, 2024】In recent days, a tourist attraction in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province has launched a new tourism activity called “Hand-Hunting”. Visitors who catch wild animals such as wild boars can take them home for free, sparking discussions among the public.
During this year’s National Day holiday, some visitors shared a video online showcasing their experience of catching a wild boar bare-handed in the Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area in Mianyang. In the video, a group of young people chased and caught a wild boar in the woods.
The video attracted attention and discussions among netizens. Some questioned, “Aren’t wild boars wild animals?” while others shared their own experiences, with one saying, “I went there before and a big wild pig scared me to death.”
In response, the staff at Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area explained that the so-called “wild boar” in the video is actually a hybrid breed of wild boar and domestic pig.
According to The Paper, in April this year, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism issued a statement allowing visitors at Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area to collect wild chicken eggs, catch wild chickens, wild rabbits, and wild boars. Visitors could participate for free with their admission ticket and could take home anything they catch (excluding piglets weighing 30 pounds or less and their mother pigs). The rules stipulated that teenagers aged 8 to 16 could catch wild chickens and rabbits, while visitors aged 16 to 64 were allowed to catch wild boars. Hunting was only allowed bare-handed, and chasing or throwing stones was considered dangerous and prohibited.
The Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area, located in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, Mianyang City, is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction that officially opened to the public on July 5, 2010. Its main attractions include natural scenery and the culture of the Qiang ethnic group.
The Beichuan County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism introduced that to enhance the visitor experience, the local Jiuhuang Mountain Ecotourism company combined the local Qiang people’s hunting tradition of killing pigs and developed the “Hand-Hunting” activity.
A staff member at Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area mentioned that activities such as catching wild rabbits, chickens, and boars have always existed. The wild boars are specifically raised second-generation wild boars, a new hybrid breed of wild boar and domestic pig. The “wild rabbits” are actually Belgian rabbits provided by a local rabbit farm, and the “mountain chickens” are ring-necked pheasants raised in captivity. Visitors must only hunt bare-handed and are not allowed to use any tools. They are advised to assess their own safety needs and wear protective gear if necessary.
Regarding the success rate of catching wild boars, the staff member stated, “There are some catches, but the success rate is about fifty percent.” However, the actual number of participants is relatively few, with most visitors merely observing from the sidelines.
A responsible person at the scenic area told 21st Century Economic Daily, “The success rate of ‘Hand-Hunting’ is not high. So far this year, visitors have caught 9 hybrid wild boars. Many visitors have shared their ‘hunting’ experiences on social media, often returning empty-handed.”
Many netizens have expressed concerns about the safety of “Hand-Hunting”. One netizen mentioned, “Last time at Jiuhuang Mountain, my girlfriend and I tried to catch rabbits, but we ended up falling hard.” Another netizen shared, “We chased for hours, tore our pants, and didn’t catch a single one.”
In response to criticism that wild boars are considered wild animals, the Beichuan County Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau stated that the hybrid wild boars at Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area have gradually evolved towards domestic pig genes after long-term breeding, but fundamentally, they still belong to the wild boar species. The scenic area has allowed the hybrid wild boars to breed freely in a released form without undergoing quarantine procedures. Allowing visitors to take them away without proper handling raises concerns about disease prevention requirements.
Regarding external opinions, a spokesperson from the Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism stated that they will cooperate with relevant departments to further supervise the safety, quarantine procedures, and slaughter standards of the “Hand-Hunting” activity.