The wild boar population of Heilongjiang province in northeast China has more than doubled from 30,000 in 2000 to 70,000 last year and many villagers had reported "invasions" into their homes and crops, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
But about 10,000 local residents, led by wildlife enthusiasts, had signed the petition to protect the animals.
"The public debate on the conflict between wildlife protection and farmers’ livelihoods is still going on," Xinhua said.
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