Wild Boar in Britain Rooting in Recreational Areas

As always, comments are very welcome - particularly if you have first hand experience of such an event. Please email British Wild Boar. Thank you.

"It is all very well so-called experts pronouncing on what we should do about the wild boar. Do they realise what damage they are doing? I belong to a walking group which walks in the Forest quite often. It has been obvious for some time along the edges of the paths that the boar have passed that way, but a couple of weeks ago near the site of Trafalgar Mine a large patch of bluebells had been dug up. There were a few bulbs lying around so presumably they had eaten the rest. We then came to Cannop Ponds picnic site which was absolutely ruined – about an acre of grass where families sit and play in the summer had been dug up (pictured). It is quite clear that if these animals are not eliminated eventually there will be no bluebells and no open areas of grass left intact." M.L. Simmons, Chepstow. (photo of Cannop Ponds reproduced with kind permission of Ben Locke)

A wild boar helping themselves to food at a picnic site in the Forest of Dean. As long as free handouts such as these are readily available, the wild boar will continue to frequent picnic areas and root up the grass as they now associate these areas with food. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves who is at fault when picnic areas get rooted up, the wild boar or us? (photo reproduced with kind permission of Wendy Benstead)

Wild boar rooting in the Cyril Hart Arboretum. Interestingly, rather than the usual kerfuffle such rootings produce in the media, this incident was reported only briefly - 'Wild boar rip up arboretum' (photo reproduced with kind permission of Ben Locke)

To wet our appetites further of what to expect in other recreational areas, here is a photo of a golf course in France, after a visitation from wild boar who refused to replace their divots (photo reproduced with kind permission of Mark Wallace - www.markwallacegolf.com).

"At our golf club situated in the South of France, the property sits on 850 hectares of land with a large population of wild boar. We have a serious problem with them over the last few weeks. In the past we protected the course with a strong fence around the perimeter (150 hectares). Recently we have had to open up the fence in 10 places, as we have discovered that several public pathways run the property. We can not close the gaps at anytime of the day, nether can we put down cattle grids. The local hunters come in to chase or shoot the boars from time to time but we have more damage everyday."

Wild boar appear to have an affinity with golf courses, here are other examples from around the world:

Spain

USA (feral pigs, as opposed to wild boar)

Other reported events in Britain 

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