The latest raids by sounders of wild boars, feral pigs or the increasingly destructive species known as the boar-pig hybrid were apparent in southwest Greece recently.
The latest instance was reported in the Ilida municipality of Elia prefecture, in the northwest Peloponnese, with some 50 tons of watermelon and melon crops destroyed. At least five producers have suffered serious damage.
The phenomenon is not new, although it has worsened this season.
The problem of marauding pigs, boars and swine has been particularly acute in various parts of Greece over the past years, especially where forestland borders with crop land.
Watermelons and melons are a favorite of the suidae species, due to their sweetness. Corn and bean varieties are also targeted by foraging boars and feral pigs.
In numerous parts of rural Greece, farmers increasingly use sound systems that mimic gunshots or predator calls to keep away the marauders.
