HANGZHOU, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A county in east China's Zhejiang Province has introduced insurance to compensate for the losses caused by wild animals.
Ding Jinhua, a villager of Chuanbu village of Longshan neighborhood, Changxing County, received compensation of 1,000 yuan (145 U.S. dollars) on Monday after wild boars destroyed his bamboo farm.
Thanks to enhanced environmental protection and restoration, the number and species of wild animals has increased markedly over the years. The official figures show that Zhejiang is home to about 100,000 wild boars. Forest police in Changxing said they received reports of 17 cases in which wild animals caused losses of 400 to 500 yuan on average in each case to local residents in 2018.
The county's forestry bureau paid an annual premium of 60,000 yuan for local residents to an insurance company, which will compensate a maximum of 30 million yuan in a year and a maximum of 5 million yuan for every accident.
The introduction of the insurance can effectively reduce the conflict between wildlife protection and protection of local residents' interests, as well as promote harmony between man and nature, said Shen Qinlong, political instructor of the forest police.
