The Seven Boar Catchers of Kawabori
About ten volunteers in Kawabori, the seven boar catchers, set snares after damage above ¥5 million. Town News met them on 17 June 2023.
Wildlife
Wild boar in Yugawara
Wild boar dig up fields and gardens in Yugawara, and sometimes turn up on residential streets. The response depends on local hunters, farmers and neighbours who have learned to set traps.
Life alongside them
At the edge of the orchards
Boar damage is part of the work of keeping these fields productive. Mikan, kiwi, taro and vegetables appear in the town's damage prevention plan. A January 2026 report from Miyakami also placed a boar on streets within the onsen town, bringing the story down from the fields into the places people walk every day.
The neighbours who set the traps
In Kawabori, residents formed a wildlife damage group after taking trap licences in 2019. Town News visited them in 2023 and described the work behind their nickname, the seven boar catchers. Capturing wildlife requires the appropriate licence and permission; the local stories show who takes on that work and how the hunters' association has aged.
Three ways into the story
Begin with Kawabori for the volunteers and the damage that brought them together. The swine fever article follows the dated findings in wild boar from Miyakami and Kajiya. The Miyakami sighting connects an animal on the street with the people the town relies on to respond.
Stories
Swine Fever in Yugawara's Wild Boar
Classical swine fever has reached wild boar in Yugawara: four positives, two in Miyakami and two in Kajiya. It does not infect humans.
A Boar in Miyakami, and an Ageing Hunters' Association
A boar was reported in Miyakami on 18 January 2026, at about 16:05, on streets the macaques use. In 2017 the hunters' association had 19 members.