ABSTRACT
Human relations with wild boars in Catalonia (Spain) are permeated by both historical coexistence and conflict, the latter becoming more visible in recent years. In certain areas of Catalonia, particularly in the environs of Barcelona and Girona, wild boar populations can achieve high densities. In response to this, the Catalan government launched a monitoring programme aimed at annually estimating wild boar density in Catalonia and controlling it. In practice, this has meant an alliance between the authorities and the hunting and farmer lobbies, including the government adopting the lobbies’ narrative and killing strategies. The alliance between the interests of hunters and farmers—often comprising the same people and overlapping organisations—has favoured this diversion of public money to particular interests and overlooked the ethical problems inherent in this administrative decision.
