Animal welfare advocates in Mijas have linked a rise in road accidents involving wild boars to intensified hunting campaigns across Andalucia.

Hunting measures increase road danger

Extended hunting seasons and off-reserve boar drives appear to be displacing wild boars more into urban suburbs and busy roads instead of reducing their numbers. Campaigners from the Plataforma de Bienestar Animal de Mijas argue that these tactics create chaotic movements as animals flee pursuit, pushing them into areas with heavy traffic.

Elizabeth Pineda, the platform’s lawyer, revealed the results of their research showing traffic collisions with boars can jump by up to 60 per cent during active hunting periods. “Drivers face heightened risks precisely when animals are being chased,” she explained. Such patterns, according to the group, produce the opposite outcome from the intended population control.

Legal concerns surround Andalucian policy

Regional authorities face fresh scrutiny over recent decisions to broaden hunting windows and authorise battues outside of traditional hunting grounds. Pineda warned that extending culls outside established seasons may breach existing regulations designed to safeguard breeding cycles and protect non-target species.

Actions that have spread into non-hunting zones also risk disturbing protected wildlife unintentionally. Campaigners insist that lethal measures applied for eleven years lack independent technical evaluations demonstrating long-term success or clear data on population trends. “This issue has persisted for over a decade without visible results,” Pineda said.

Court challenge targets emergency hunting order

A formal appeal now sits before the Andalusian High Court after the platform lodged proceedings against the Junta de Andalucía’s latest temporary hunting emergency declaration covering Cadiz, Malaga, and Sevilla provinces. The resolution permits exceptional capture and culling of wild boars and feral pigs using non-standard methods.

Lawyers are looking for an immediate suspension of the plan pending full review. Supporters of the platform call for alternative, legally compliant strategies that address both boar numbers and associated road hazards more effectively, without relying solely on expanded lethal control.

Regional officials introduced the emergency measures despite concerns over crop damage, disease risks, and public safety. Yet animal welfare voices maintain that evidence points to counterproductive effects, with frightened animals venturing closer to human neighbourhoods, roads and motorways.

The broader debate continues on sustainable wildlife management in southern Spain, where expanding boar populations intersect with growing traffic volumes and suburban development. Campaigners demand policymakers prioritise science-based, non-disruptive solutions that balance ecological needs with driver safety.