Rabat Authorities Capture 36 Wild Boars in Urban Areas Amid Resident Complaints

In a press release, the forestry department of the Ministry of Agriculture recalled that these animals have been captured in several urban areas of the capital, particularly near the green belt in the vicinity of the Royal Golf of Dar Essalam, in Témara and in Hay Ryad (sectors 23 and 24).

These animals, considered pests, have always been present in these areas of Rabat, once covered with natural forests. Their presence in these areas has always been an integral part of the urban legend of Rabat, long before the appearance of the coronavirus. During the last three months of last year as well as in January 2020, several months before the establishment of the state of health emergency and confinement, their appearance had been widely reported by the media.

Their proliferation can be justified by the atmosphere of tranquility favored by the confinement decreed on March 20 by the authorities, in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. According to the same press release, some wild boar populations have appeared in urban sites in the city of Rabat during this period of health confinement marked by the reduction of citizen movements and by calm.

For the forestry authorities, the provincial forestry department of Rabat has proceeded, in coordination with the local authorities, to the installation of movable wild boar traps at the sites where these animals have been frequently observed.