First raid after the announcement of the boar hunt: "They are beasts, but they are not stupid"

BergaIt's not even eight in the morning and everyone's already there. They've had breakfast, but they're making coffee to warm up and finish getting organized. The younger ones are with the dog handlers, devising the strategy for the hunt. Inside their headquarters, a small space with walls covered in the heads of wild boar and roe deer, the older members are gathered in front of the fireplace. They also participate in the hunt organized by the El Pi de Berga Wild Boar Association, but they're veterans and observe it with a certain detachment.

They show each other photos of wild boars killed in other hunts on their phones, but Manel—the gang calls him Grandpa Manel—goes even further: he proudly shows off his smartphone A video, created with AI, shows him in the dining room of his house, jumping among wild boars. Pepe and Agapito, also veterans, watch it and explain that the day they hunted the most pigs with their gang, they bagged up to 70 in a single roundup. While they're chatting, the scene outside is completely different.

About twenty people—almost all men between 50 and 60 years old—dressed in various styles of bright orange jackets, vests, and fleece coats, listen to Paco, the group's leader for over 30 years. As the person in charge, he has the mandatory security courses – to know how to position people during the raid – and game meat – to check that the hunted animal is in good condition; otherwise, they must call the Rural Agents. He is also the one who communicates with the company that will collect the wild boar they hunt, since it is forbidden to transport the dead animals beyond the meeting point. He must use an application in which he will enter the number of captures. The company will tell him when they will come to collect the wild boar to transport them to Solsona.

"Today we will cover an area of 100 hectares. The hunt will take place in the north, in the area between the river and Berga, and we will have 25 positions"Paco explains, wearing an orange cap with an embroidered boar and the gang's name. positions The designated stands are the points where each hunter positions themselves to surround the hunting area and attempt to shoot the animals as they try to leave the marked perimeter, in this case, marked by Paco. Ariadna, the only woman participating in today's hunt, will occupy one of these stands. She is 20 years old and only started hunting a year ago. She got involved because her boyfriend, Marc, is a dog handler and has been participating in hunts since he was 15. "The first few times I came just to help, but now I've gotten my license, I have my rifle, and we come hunting whenever work allows, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays," the young woman explains enthusiastically. She, Ginna, and Vanesa are the only women in the group.

Once organized, all the hunters head to their assigned positions, and then it's the dog handlers' turn. Today, Marc and Cuerva arrive, each with about ten dogs. "They tell me he's thin, but he's in great shape. He eats half a kilo of meat and runs 30 km a day... It's like telling Kilian Jornet he's thin," Cuerva complains to a companion while putting a vest on one of the dogs. "It's not because of the cold, but because of the scratches a wild boar could inflict with its tusks," he explains. He also mentions that the groups are lacking new recruits because the younger generation has to work and doesn't want to dedicate their free time to hunting. "Even though my wife isn't convinced, I spend all my vacations hunting, but the younger generation prefers to travel," he says.

Track and "pick up"

Marc and Cuerva's mission is to get the dogs to track the wild boars and "flush them out"—to scare them and make them flee—because from the positions They can shoot them with rifles or shotguns when they run through their area. To monitor the dogs' location, they use a GPS and a device similar to Strava., One of the apps for recording a route while out for a run. Again, it's Paco who has just decided what each person does and where, since, for example, hunting next to roads or rural paths is prohibited and the number of shots per rifle that each hunter can fire is strictly limited by law.

After the hustle and bustle of organizing, once on the mountain, all is silent. The first shot isn't heard until two hours and eleven minutes after the hunt began. It's preceded by hundreds of barking dogs alerting them to the presence of a wild boar and by Cuerva's onomatopoeic shouts. "Ea, ea, ea," he can be heard yelling to guide the dogs.

The scene unfolds quite a few meters beyond a 76-year-old hunter who is also part of the group. "My name is Max, like the bad guys in the movies," he jokes. He's another of the veterans. He's been in the same spot for over an hour, standing almost motionless, looking both ways. His rifle is slung over his back, but his hands are strategically positioned for speed should an animal approach. He only shifts position to occasionally dab his nose with the handkerchief in his pocket.

While patiently waiting for a wild boar to approach him, he admits that he sees it as unfeasible. to reduce the wild boar population by half, as announced by the Government on Wednesday"They're just political words, but there's no way to achieve it. Wild boars are beasts, but they're not stupid; it's not as easy as catching a puppy," he warns. Suddenly, the conversation stops. They hear rustling, dogs sniffing, and Cuerva shouting again. Max puts his index finger to his lips to signal for silence and points ahead. A single shot echoes through the ravine, and again, absolute silence. A few seconds later, a murmur is heard in the earpiece Max is wearing connected to the walkie-talkie that all hunters use to communicate. "It seems they've got him, they say we've got two now," he says. He also explains that he thinks that's a small number and that his record was in 1987, when he bagged 25 in a single season by himself. Silence returns and, at most, a shot is heard every twenty or half an hour.

Security seals

Six hours after the day began at the group's headquarters, Paco announces that the hunt is over. The hunters' faces are a mixture of resignation and helplessness. They've only bagged two, and both are piglets. They retrace their steps to collect the two animals and put them in Paco's truck, where he attaches the animal tag, an approved label bearing the group's name and the date the boar was captured. "It's very important; you can be fined for misusing the tag," the group leader warns. He also explains that they are now paid 18 euros per animal and that they spend around 6,000 euros a year on veterinarians.

The outcome of the raid reinforces Paco's conviction that the goal of halving the number of wild boars in Catalonia is "impossible." "We'd have to go hunting every day with groups of 30 or 40 people. If they don't promote young people, it will be unfeasible, but that's why we should improve our image," he acknowledges.