Could you provide a brief overview of the study – what were the main objectives and expected outcomes?
In September 2023 Sweden experienced its first ever outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). One year later, in September 2024, Sweden was declared free from ASF. Key for the successful eradication of ASF was the engagement of local hunters who searched the affected area for dead wild boar and later was engaged in culling the remaining wild boar in the area.
The aim of our study was to explore the experiences of the engaged hunters, and in particular to understand why they engaged in the control work. We performed focus group discussions with members from five hunting teams in the affected area.
The study shows that hunting was understood as a central part of the participants’ lives, and the outbreak of ASF as a catastrophe for the hunters themselves, for the community and for local industries. The participants described that the restricted access to the forest was particularly hard to live with for themselves and for the others living in the area – one team compared the situation with spending time in jail. To engage and act on the outbreak was a way to cope with the feelings of powerlessness and disaster.
The participants described that their engagement primarily stemmed from a will to make the area free from ASF in order to be able to spend time in the forest and hunt again, and to get their "life" back. The participants took pride in their identity as local hunters – knowing the land, the wildlife, and being rooted in the local community. This pride, and their conviction that they were the most competent actors to manage the outbreak, seems to have fuelled their engagement in the control work. Several participants emphasized that engagement was a way to take responsibility, to "do your part", and as a matter of self-respect.
Our study gives important insight that can be utilized in case of future outbreaks among wildlife: the engagement of the hunters appears to be facilitated by their local connectivity, involving commitment to the hunting grounds and to the local society.
In addition, local knowledge about the land and wildlife seems to have facilitated effective carcass search and culling. This means that it is of importance for authorities to establish relationships with local hunters, and to acknowledge their pivotal position in managing an outbreak.
Further, our results show that it is important to acknowledge the social aspects of search and culling work for hunters' engagement. These kinds of social activities are a prerequisite for effective management, and if hunters experience that there are benefits from participating in outbreak control, they will probably be more prone to engage.
How does the research relate to the One Health concept?
While ASF only infects pigs and wild boar, the disease has enormous consequences for humans. Due to the high mortality, the disease is a threat to pig production, and to the food supply. The disease also affects international trade – in particular the exportation of pig meat. In addition, the management of the disease has consequences for the wellbeing of humans, since the restrictions limit the access to the forest, and the recreational as well as economic role of activities in the forests is thus threatened by the disease.
What do you consider the key opportunities in your research area in relation to interdisciplinary one health research?
In this study a social scientist cooperated with a group of veterinary epidemiologists. We believe that this cooperation, and drawing on expertise from different fields, improved the study and facilitated the production of knowledge that is highly relevant in order to understand the complexities of managing animal diseases.
Text: Hedvig Gröndal and Erika Chenais
