This page provides information about what to do if you come across an injured free-living wild boar.
Wild boar are very hardy animals and are rarely sick, however they frequently cross roads and are a favoured target for hunters. Therefore most injured wild boar will be road traffic victims or have gun shot wounds. They may be in considerable pain and such a highly strung animal is likely to act in an unpredictable and defensive manner. This is not a situation to be taken lightly, as an injured wild boar is arguably the most dangerous wild animal in the UK for wildlife casualty personnel to deal with.
1. It is important to realise that if you can get close enough to touch a free-living wild boar then it is a very poorly animal indeed, as their normal response to people is to quickly flee.
2. Wild boar are not dangerous by nature, but do have formidable weaponnry. Males over two years old have tusks in the lower jaw that are razor sharp; these are his main weapons. With a flick of his head the tusks can sever human skin, including arteries. Sows can inflict serious, repeated, bite wounds.
Be aware that even if apparently ‘out for the count’, a boar that was only stunned can suddenly revive and move very quickly. Thus if you are standing behind an animal that appears lifeless, it may still turn it’s head, with tusks and teeth pointing towards you, in an instant.
1. Call the police. The police should be involved as wild boar in captivity are officially classed as dangerous wild animals and hence there are public safety concerns. Defra state that 'If you are concerned that wild boar are present and a safety hazard in a particular area you should inform the local Police'. Nearly all injured adult boar found at the roadside are put-down.
2. Stay away from the head end. This end has the teeth, tusks and bite. It is vital not to go within striking range of this area.
3. Don't block the animals route back to cover. A frightened wild boar does not care who is in the way when it is trying to get back to the cover of the woods.
It is only advisable to transport an injured wild boar (i.e. to the wildlife hospital) when it is fully sedated. Unless very strong welded steel mesh cages are available a boar not sedated may break out if it is not too badly injured. A horsebox may not necessarily be strong enough.
The cages and pens typically seen at wildlife hospitals will not be strong enough to hold a recovering boar; wild boar can jump surprisingly high and if so inclined, can root under most fences. On a wild boar farm, the fencing needs to be at least five foot high and dug into the ground by one foot. An electric wire is also recommended. A boar rehabilitating in a wildlife hospital would therefore need a specially made pen.
Piglets (boarlets) however are a different matter, and here intervention may increase the survival chances of orphaned or abandoned boarlets.
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It is a fact of life that wild boar sows with dependent boarlets do get shot or run over. The consequences are that orphaned boarlets may be left to starve to death, which most members of the public find unacceptable, and will inevitably wish to intervene. |
As with baby birds, it is essential to make certain the boarlets have been abandoned and are not just resting in the undergrowth with mum sleeping close by, enjoying a break from her maternal duties. Fortunately, determining this is usually straightforward with wild boar, as sows are very good mothers and will come running to the aid of their boarlets at the first sound or scent of trouble. And it is not a good idea to be interfering with boarlets, good intentions aside, when the sow arrives.
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This wild boar was born blind, but has been nurtured into great health by Mick, and spared the chop by a compassionate boar farmer. The boar enjoys a great quality of life (© Martin Goulding).
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