Wild Boar in Berlin. We may see wild boar in the UK become more urban as the population increases. (Owner of photo unknown. If it is yours, please advise on the legality of using it. Kind regards, Martin Goulding).
Defra do not have an easy decision to make regarding the management of the wild boar. To eradicate the boar would be very expensive (to the taxpayer) and, even if achievable, not universally popular. But wild boar have no natural predators in the UK, so to do nothing would mean that we would be overun by wild boar. Some form of management is therefore required, but what type of mangement is the million dollar question, or million pound actually, because to-date Defra has spent over £1.5 million pounds on researching the small, but ever increasing, populations of free-living wild boar in Britain. And thats just for the research. Time will tell if it was money well spent.
Wild Boar in Berlin. We may see wild boar in the UK become more urban as the population increases. (Owner of photo unknown. If it is yours, please advise on the legality of using it. Kind regards, Martin Goulding).
In 2006 Defra undertook a public consultation exercise on the wild boar in Britain. A press statement from Defra and a link to the consultation documents, including the summary of responses, can be accessed on this link http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060529a.htm
Encouragingly for the wild boar, Defra's stated aim of the consultation 'is to ensure an acceptable balance between wild boar and the interests of conservation, farming, horticulture, woodland management, infrastructure and human safety as well as the welfare of the boar.'
Discouragingly for the wild boar, wildlife management decisions always boil down to [tax payers] money and the threat of wild boar spreading disease to cows and sheep terrifies Defra, especially after the foot-and-mouth debacle. The consultation documents notes that: 'Of greater significance than direct crop damage is the risk wild boar pose to domestic livestock (cattle and sheep as well as pigs) as a potential wildlife reservoir for a number of diseases. Classical Swine Fever (CSF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) are the two most economically significant of these.'
Even more discouragingly for certain wild boar populations,
Defra are currently conducting research into fertility control as a way of managing the wild boar populations.
Wild boar and cows can swap some economically serious diseases, best not to let them get too close together then!
(copyright unknown.).
One of many unique signs along trails in the mountains near Kobe, Japan, that warn about the danger of wild boars. This particular example tells you not to feed them, because bites have occurred; the girl is yelling: "No good!"
(Photo: Lowell Silverman.).
Details of the project, being carried out by Defra on the free-living wild boar in Ross-on-Wye, are detailed here Evaluation of fertility control to manage over abundant wildlife (WM0406) Cost = £993,336.
These field trials are a follow-on from an initial project which proved the idea worked in wild boar kept in captivity, see Defra report: Evaluation of fertility control in captive wild boar) Cost £76,592.
For the sake of completion, the original Defra investigations into the free-living wild boar are described in these reports: The ecology and management of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Southern England (VC0325) Cost = £433,305 and Investigating capture and removal strategies for wild boar at low density Cost = £59,807.
Whether the contraception trials are eradication by the back door (as the population in Ross-on-Wye wild boar may now decrease considerably) or an important scientific study is for you to decide. Also, it is interesting who decided the wild boar were 'over-abundant' right in the middle of a public consultation on the subject, and when deer numbers are going through the roof costing the forestry industry millions in tree damage.
Several questions concerning Defra's study of the administration of immunocontraceptive drugs to the wild boar in the Forest of Dean Evaluation of fertility control to manage over abundant wildlife (WM0406) have been put to Defra. The responses are given below, kindly sent in by an wildlife professional.
Question
1. What precautions have been taken to ensure that only boar eat the the feed and thus contraceptive and to prevent non - target animals taking it, this would include deer, squirrels, rabbits, mice, dogs, sheep and ponies?
Defra response
Free-living animals have so far only been given contraceptives through injection and therefore there has been no need to take measures to prevent non-target animals taking treated feed.
Question
2. Has any research been done on the possible effect of other animals eating the contraceptive as from your report it would seem that it is not species specific?
Defra response
The contraceptive approaches being considered are not species-specific. Thus if oral delivery via bait is to be considered then methods of making baits available to only the target species will need to be developed. This is a challenging issue that is being addressed by the current project. No baits will be made available to free-living populations unless suitable species-specific delivery methods are developed.
Question
3. Some boar treated with contraceptive have entered the food chain, has any research been carried out to discover the possible effect on humans of eating such an animal?
Defra response
It is not known that any vaccinated boar have entered the food chain. However, should this occur there is no known viable mechanism by which effects on humans could arise as a result of eating such an animal. The specific product used has been considered by the United States Food and Drug Administration not to raise a human food safety concern and other very similar vaccines are used elsewhere in livestock production for treating animals that subsequently enter the human food chain.
Defra is not aware of any evidence that tagged wild boar have definitely entered the food chain.
Question
4. Nearly £1m of tax payers money has been spent on this project, why wasn't the research targeted at a much more prolific and potentially harmful mammal such as exotic deer species including muntjac or sika which currently present a much greater threat to the environment on a much wider basis than the native wild boar that according to your reports number less than 1000 in principally just three locations. Exotic deer species by comparison number in the high hundreds of thousands and are present in a high proportion of 10km squares in the UK and are increasing rapidly in range and numbers posing serious issues of damage to trees and crops and, in the case of sika, interbreeding with the native reds to the extent that the genetic integrity of virtually every red deer in Scotland is questionable?
Defra response
The immunocontraception work is proof of the concept of the technique. The species being used for development of the technique is not indicative of those which it may be used on in future if the project is successful.
Question
5. Why is the Forestry Commission carrying out a programme of substantial culling of boar, principally in the southern Forest of Dean, and presumably without the sanction of DEFRA or English Nature before DEFRA have issued their policy proposals following the consultation?"
Defra response
There is no substantial culling of wild boar taking place at the present time. Current Forest Enterprise policy is that boar are only culled on an individual basis where they have directly caused problems relating to health and safety.
Future policy as to the management of wild boar populations is under review following the recent public consultation.
As regards the alleged shooting of ‘over 40’ wild boar in the Forest of Dean, we can advise that to date Forestry Commission rangers there have killed just 2 wild boar, and both those animals had repeatedly attacked dogs being walked by people. This is in accordance with Defra’s current policy.
If you have any questions to ask Defra concerning their researches into the management of the wild boar, Defra give out this contact email address: e.environment@defra.gsi.go
v.uk.
If anyone has any other Defra responses that would be of interest, we would be delighted to hear. please email Thank-you.