They feed wild boars in the middle of the city and then lament the attacks

Several residents think it is a good idea to throw food to a good-sized female wild boar looking after several piglets. They even go so far as to give her bread so that she takes it directly from their hands, ignoring the biting power these animals possess. We have observed the main consequence of this many times.

These pigs become attached to these streets, which they reach after crossing several roads, they come across pets being walked by their owners, creating dangerous situations and even fatal attacks and, something that must not be forgotten, it leads the wild boars to look for and demand that food from whoever is carrying it, whether in shopping bags or as a snack in areas set up for that purpose. If they do not get it, they insist. If they still cannot access it, that is when the attacks begin.

What measures Spanish town and city councils are taking against wild boars in the streets

The presence of wild boars in urban areas has ceased to be a one-off anecdote and has become a municipal management problem in several regions of Spain. Barcelona, Madrid and different municipalities in Murcia and Aragon have been forced to design specific plans to stop these animals entering streets, parks and residential estates.

Barcelona is probably the most studied municipal case in Spain, because since 2022 it has been living with “urbanized” wild boars in the neighborhoods close to Collserola. It is a good example of a truly municipal package of measures, not just a regional one.

The Barcelona neighborhoods bordering Collserola Park have been living since 2022 with wild boars that have fully adapted to the urban environment. The city council has identified the origin of the problem: when a wild boar easily finds food, water and shelter, it no longer needs the forest.

The most visible measure in the municipal plan is the reinforcement of rubbish containers. The council has installed metal fencing around the most problematic collection points, reinforced with additional anchors so that, even if a wild boar manages to get past the first barrier, it cannot tip the container over. It is a simple solution, but with a direct impact, since accessible rubbish is the main source of food for the animals that approach residential areas.

The plan includes three other lines of work that are less well known, but just as relevant:

Redesign of green areas: the vegetation in some parks bordering Collserola is being experimentally modified to reduce the plant cover that serves as shelter for the animals.

Control of stray cat colonies: the people who feed these colonies are now working with the city council to prevent wild boars from accessing the feed, placing the feeders in elevated spots and removing leftovers once the cats have eaten.

Express ban on feeding wild boars, a practice that, despite municipal warnings, remains one of the main reasons why the animals lose their fear of the human environment, as we have just seen in the images.

Added to this is a health protocol that is activated when an outbreak of African swine fever appears in the area: temporary closure of parks and picnic areas, a ban on handling dead or sick animals, with mandatory notification to 112, and safety perimeters that, in the most recent episode, came to affect up to 64 municipalities within a 20-kilometer radius.

Madrid: large-scale population control

In the Community of Madrid, where there are estimated to be between 35,000 and 40,000 animals, the strategy has been different: expanding the tools for hunting and population control. Thirteen districts have been declared under a hunting emergency, the use of thermal sights and camera traps in drives is allowed, and all restocking of wild boars on hunting grounds has been suspended. The new Hunting and Fishing Law, approved in June 2026, incorporates the so-called “Population Control Plans”, which allow town and city councils to intervene on overabundant species even outside the usual hunting season.

Murcia: direct municipal powers

The Region of Murcia has chosen to delegate responsibility directly to the most affected municipalities —Totana, Blanca, Cehegín and Cartagena—, which can act with their own resources or through contracted companies within their powers over public safety and public health. The use of cages and capture pens is authorized, while the use of firearms is only permitted if the security forces first establish a controlled perimeter.

The five measures any town or city council should apply

Beyond the major regional plans, the experience of municipalities already affected leaves a list of actions that can be replicated at low cost:

• Rubbish containers with lids and anti-tip anchoring.
• A municipal ordinance banning and sanctioning the feeding of wild fauna.
• Coordination with the regional government to authorize captures or drives on urban land.
• Reduction of dense vegetation on the boundaries between the urban area and the countryside.
• A clear citizen notification protocol: what to do and who to call when a wild boar is present.