Wild boars hog limelight as they roam around Rome

Posting videos of wild boars on social media has become something of a hobby, with exasperated citizens of the city capturing the creatures as they parade past their stores and through the streets of their neighborhoods.

Rome's overflowing garbage cans have been a magnet for families of wild boars who emerge from the vast parks surrounding the city to roam the streets in search of food.

There are more than two million wild boars in Italy, a 15 percent increase over the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Colidiretti, Italy's national agriculture association.

Wild boars caused a traffic accident every 48 hours in 2020, according to the study, with a total of 16 deaths and 215 people injured.

Animal rights groups are opposed to any form of culling and suggested a better solution would be to capture the boars, sterilize them and release them in protected park areas.