A popular mountain resort in Sichuan Province, China is offering a truly wild experience: tourists are being invited to catch wild boars with their bare hands and—wait for it—take them home for free. The catch? You’ve got to catch the boar yourself.
According to Oddity Central on Saturday (19/10/2024), the unique attraction allows visitors to wrangle their very own wild boar—just no fancy equipment allowed.
Now, before you grab your hiking boots, let’s talk about what you’re up against. Wild boars aren’t exactly cuddly. These beasts can weigh up to 300 kilograms and sprint at a terrifying speed of 70 km/h. They also sport sharp tusks capable of causing some serious damage. But if you’re feeling brave (or, well, reckless), you can try your hand at this adventure in the Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area in Sichuan.
Photos and videos of tourists gleefully chasing wild boars have been going viral on Chinese social media. Naturally, this sparked a bit of an uproar, with many netizens wondering what in the world would compel someone to risk their life for a pig.
Surprisingly, this bizarre activity has been a popular attraction at Jiuhuang Mountain since 2013. Despite the seemingly risky nature of the game, there haven’t been any reports of serious injuries—yet.
When this wild boar chase was first introduced, tourists weren’t just allowed to take the boar home for free—they were given 10,000 Yuan in prize money! But those cash rewards have since been scrapped, leaving the boar itself as the only prize for your trouble.
But here’s the twist: these aren’t completely wild boars. According to the official Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area website, the boars are second-generation and bred in captivity. They’ve been de-tusked, so while they still pose a minor risk, their dangerous instincts have been dulled.
One more thing: you can’t just pick any boar you want. There are rules. Tourists are required to catch them bare-handed, and female boars with piglets under 30 kilograms are strictly off-limits.
So, if you’re ever in Sichuan and feel like adding “wild boar wrestler” to your list of travel adventures, you know where to go! Just make sure you’ve got some sturdy gloves and a whole lot of nerve.