Photo/Illutration A meat pie made with wild boar meat, served by L’Atelier Natural, a takeout-only French restaurant in Aridagawa, Wakayama Prefecture (Photo provided by the prefectural government's livestock section)

WAKAYAMA--A food festival featuring meat from locally hunted deer and wild boar is in full swing here.

The Wakayama Gibier Festa event runs until the end of February.

Hosted by the prefectural government, the festival involving 90 restaurants, farm stands and lodging facilities is in its 13th year.

Steaks, hot pots, noodles, sandwiches and other wild game dishes are offered from across the prefecture.

The number of establishments joining the event has continued to increase since the festival started in 2011 with about 40 shops.

Boar meat is rich in vitamin B6, while iron-rich deer meat is low in calories and fat.

“Cases of damage done by animals has been growing, but only a portion of the wild meat is used after they are caught,” said an official at the prefectural government's livestock section. “We want to raise the profile (of game meat) with the Festa event and find other opportunities to use the meat.”

For more information, visit the official website at (https://www.wakayama-gibier.com/2023-2024/).

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