I was returning from Whitianga at about 8.30am. I came around a corner, saw a glimpse of something big and black out of the corner of my eye and then, BANG!
It was a large wild pig and it put my vehicle, which was not speeding, on two wheels and required a good deal of steering action.
I was fortunate that the creature hit my tyre as the damage could have been very extensive. This could have been a very different accident and I want to warn people that the pigs are prolific.
How prolific? I rang Farmer Auto to get the damage checked and seen to and before I could explain what had hit me, the mechanic said, “Don’t tell me, it’s a pig. Your call is the fifth in the last 24 hours.”
In the back roads of Kuaotunu, the pigs are there all the time. Their numbers are growing. This applies to the south of Whitianga as well. The council is aware of these increasing numbers, but there is not yet a programme for culling. The pigs don’t have any other predator in New Zealand, only humans.
Could there be some kind of sponsored competition run in this wider region to cull the numbers of wild pigs? After all, we have fishing competitions and fish are not a threat to our oceans.
However, these pigs are a real threat to our bush and not intimidated by traffic. They are ‘living the dream’ in our bush. We have many good hunters. I am not sure what you do if you don’t eat pork, but these marauders are now a real hazard and could cause a far worse accident than the ones that have resulted in repairs at Farmer Auto. It’s time to save a lot of damage to bushland and potentially to people on the road, especially children.
If you have any ideas or are willing to be part of a sponsored culling competition, write to The Informer and we promise to take it further. Info@theinformer.co.nz
