The Croatian Hunting Association has assembled an intervention team of about thirty hunters to halt the spread of African swine fever, with 797 wild boars culled in five Slavonian counties over two weeks.
To prevent the further spread of African swine fever, the Croatian Hunting Association organized a collective hunt for wild boars on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in the state hunting ground of Ćeralije, near Slatina. The intervention team, composed of about thirty hunters, gathered in the yard of the hunting society "Vepar" in Slatina as early as six in the morning to agree on a strategy.
In the far east of Virovitica-Podravina County, in the municipalities of Crnac and Zdenci, cases of the disease have already been confirmed in domestic pigs. Due to the outbreak of African swine fever in the neighboring Hungarian county of Somogy, surveillance zones have recently been extended to include the municipalities of Gradina and Sopje, adding further strain on local livestock farmers and hunters.
Before heading out into the field and upon return, mandatory disinfection of footwear and motor vehicles is carried out. Branimir Stankić, head of the professional service at the Croatian Hunting Association and president of the Hunting Association of Bjelovar-Bilogora County, explained that this practice is not part of the official order to reduce population numbers and prevent African swine fever, but rather something they introduced themselves to show the public that all possible measures are being taken.
"This is not mandated by the order to reduce population numbers and prevent African swine fever, but these are additional things we decided to do to inform the public that absolutely everything is being done to prevent African swine fever and reduce population numbers. Today, we organized an intervention team at the hunting society Vepar Slatina."
Hunters from neighboring counties also joined the operation. Ivica Kovačević, president of the county hunting association of Požega-Slavonia County, emphasized that he responded precisely to help colleagues in Virovitica-Podravina County and prevent the further spread of the infection.
"That is exactly why I joined the hunt, to help colleagues in Virovitica-Podravina County in solving this and to prevent African swine fever from spreading further."
Antonio Repić, president of the Hunting Association of Virovitica-Podravina County, provided data showing that hunting societies in the area cull more than 100 wild boars per week. The order from the Ministry of Agriculture, implemented by hunting societies under the patronage of the Croatian Hunting Association, is evidently yielding results, as activities are carried out daily.
"Our societies in the Virovitica-Podravina County area cull around a hundred or so wild pigs weekly, and we all follow and respect what the Ministry has ordered to reduce the wild pig population to zero."
Samples are taken from culled animals and sent for analysis to Vinkovci, where they are tested for trichinosis and African swine fever. So far, test results from animals in that county have been negative, which is encouraging news.
Activities to reduce the wild boar population are also being carried out in other Slavonian counties. Data from the Croatian Hunting Association show that from July 27 to August 10, 2026, a total of 797 wild boars were culled across five Slavonian counties. During the same period, 178 drives were conducted and 2,215 hunting ground inspections were carried out.
The Association reports that field data indicate a significantly reduced wild boar population in certain areas, and in some hunting grounds they are no longer recorded at all. Special emphasis is placed on biosecurity, including disinfection of equipment and vehicles, and handling of culled animals according to the instructions of the Ministry of Agriculture.
