Hogichiwa

by Krzysztof Turowski

Do you and your loved ones feel safe? Are you afraid to go outside in the evening?

If not, enjoy it. It may not last long … A British magazine reports that not everyone can enjoy the peace, tranquility and safety in their neighbourhoods.

Imagine a beautiful, picturesque Kakara island off the coast of Japan. In spring there are beautiful cherry trees and evergreen camellia shrubs. Imagine also that there is not a single tourist on this island and there may not be a single person soon. I would like to add that there is no environmental organization protecting any species of trees, shrubs or animals. No nuclear catastrophe or other cataclysm happened there. The island is populated and has permanent residents. The reason for the impending depopulation may surprise you.

The times of samurai have passed in Japan irretrievably, and Japanese men have undergone a transformation – from great warriors to the so-called “soshokukei danshi” which means “herbivores”.

For the possession of a firearm in Japan one os facing 10 years in prison and each, even the smallest, air gun requires permit and a lot of tests. In fact we can recognize Japan as a completely demilitarized country and devoid of hunting.

It seems that this information is already known to hogs  who inhabit the mentioned Kakara island. The Kakara’s hogs managed to scare off the tourists who were willing to visit this charming part of the country. They destroy the Japanese camellia and field crops. Children who live on the island do not play outside anymore because of hogs attacks. Some residents believe that the problem can only be solved by evacuation from the island. Unfortunately, as it turns out, this issue begins to be felt throughout Japan and soshokukei danshi have more serious problems than defending their own families.

Some ISIS fighters also ignored hogs as a serious problem. Last year, armed to the teeth, they wanted to prepare an ambush around 80 km, near the city of Kirkuk in Iraq. The ambush did not work out, because the terrorists violated the territory of a wild boar family. Three terrorists were killed and five were injured in the ISIS vs hogs battle.

In the moments like this, I start to wonder how much the hunters are unappreciated. We have become accustomed to the fact that our hard work to take care of nature, guarding crops, protecting fields is not noticed by others. We spent thousands of hours to study, practice, exams, exercises, protection of fields and more, and often we hear voices that in the face of public feedback our work is … futile.

I do not know if people are ready for it.

Dear residents of big cities – you need us more than you think. We hunt ethically, with attention to safety, performing tasks imposed on us by the minister of the environment. In return you harass us and throw mud in the media. Think about whether this is the right way.

Look at what views we have today in the capital of our country. An urbanized area, on the main street next to the school, home, park. I’m just wondering when these movies (on the bottom) will turn into violent scenes of an attack on people.

So think about that when you meet a hunter next time. Maybe it is worth to greet and thank him. It does not have to be Japanese ‘arigato’. All you need is our hunter’s ‘Happy Hunting’. Soon the Polish hunter may be like the last samurai – an extinct species children will read about in books, looking out the window with a fear of wild boar.

Happy Hunting!

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