By Bae Ji-sook
This winter will be a cruel season for wildlife.The cold temperatures and excessive downpours have reduced acorns this year, causing a shortage, so many animals could starve and make them possibly hostile toward humans, experts warned.
According to the Korea National Park Service, the amount of oak trees producing acorns this year dropped by 30 to 40 percent from a year earlier. Acorns are one of the main reserve foods for wildlife such as bears, wild boars and squirrels among others because its hard shell protects the seed inside from going rotten for a long time.
The public corporation blamed the bad climate — the cold weather halted the production of acorns in April and May while the downpour deterred pollination, said Dr. Shin Chang-ho of the Korea National Arboretum. “The weather was quite unusual this year and the amount of acorns harvested is the smallest I have seen,” he said.
There are 17 Asiastic black bears in Mt. Jiri. The animal starts to binge eat during this time of the year to prepare for hibernation lasting from December to January. The winter sleep is important for the bears as a means to survive and conserve energy during a period of food shortage.
The shortage of acorns may affect their health as well as their cubs, which could affect the future of the species which is designated as a natural treasure here. The problem with the shortage of their food could also directly affect humans as they leave the mountains and intrude on human residents or farms for food.
Last week, a wild boar was killed by an emergency rescue squad in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, for having threatened and harmed humans. It appeared at a small field in a residential area, attacked a 70-year-old woman and tried to eat the vegetables she was holding. It also tried to attack her neighbors who tried to help her.
Experts assumed that the shortage of acorns is forcing the hungry animals to come to residential areas.
Local administrations are gearing up to protect residents in rural areas. Yeongyang County in Gangwon Province offered 60,000 won per wild boar hunted down.
The Ministry of Environment decided to impose up to a 30 million won fine or up to 3 years imprisonment on those who take acorns from the streets or mountains.