Villagers Armed to Fend Off Plundering Pigs

The Anatolian news agency quoted local officials as saying ammunition had been distributed to villagers to fend off the swine invasion after hundreds of the animals damaged crops in settlements in the Black Sea province of Giresun.

"The villagers can fight against the wild pigs with an organized hunt. They can be hunted 12 months of the year," Sedat Damci, head of a local hunting association, told the agency.

Muslim Turkey has a large population of wild boars. Despite Islam’s strict ban on consuming pork, hunting the animals is a popular sport throughout the country’s rural areas.