Abstract
In 2002, Kobe City enacted an ordinance banning the feeding of wild boars to stop the increasing damage caused by them, including economic harm, personal injury, motor vehicle accident, residential environment or other human structures.The purpose of this study was to identify the different types of interactions between humans and wild boars in urban watershed where wild boars came and settle and mountainous areas, and to explore the relationship between human and wild boar behaviors in Higashinada Ward, Kobe City.We conducted aｎ observational study and a behavioral survey between 2010 and 2011 to document human behaviors toward wild boars and assess the reaction of wild boars toward humans in the watershed areas of the Tenjo River and in mountainous areas of Mt. Hokura. We rated human behaviors into five categories: unconcerned, active, proactive, adversarial, and escape behaviors. For the boars, four categories: active, material, and aggressive behaviors. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted to examine the interactions between the behavior of humans and wild boars using the variables of gender and age of the humans and the two locations.The results showed more unconcerned behavior in the watershed areas by young middle-aged adults and older adults, and more active and proactive behavior in the mountainous areas among minors. We also found that minors were more likely to feed the boars. Furthermore, wild boars reacted to the human active and proactive behaviors, which led to further proactive behavior from humans.
