Public meeting to discuss wild boars
‘Information share’night
Scottish Natural Heritage has announced a public meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 19, to discuss the issue of wild boar or feral pigs in the Alyth area.
The meeting, which organisers say will be to share information with the public and answer any questions they may have, will be held in the Ogilvie Rooms on Commercial Street in the town and will get under way at 7pm.
The public meeting has been organised following an initial meeting between Perth and Kinross Council, SNH and other organisations such as Alyth Community Council and Forest Enterprise late last year after there were reports of sightings of the animals on Alyth Hill.
And members of the public have been asked to report any sightings of wild boar or feral pigs in the Alyth area.
Current estimates suggest that there could be as many as 20 to 40 of the animals on the hill, which is popular with dog walkers and also home to Alyth Bike Park.
However, information about the distribution of the wild boar is limited and PKC and SNH are keen to find out more about how many there are in the area and whether they are moving into new territories.
A spokesperson for SNH told the Blairie: “We, with Perth and Kinross Council, are asking people in the Alyth area to report any sightings or signs of feral pigs which have been released or escaped from private collections.
“There have been some sightings on Alyth Hill and there may be between 20 and 40 animals but information is limited and the council and ourselves want to learn more about their numbers and movements.”
The spokesperson added: “Since our initial appeal for members of the public to report any sightings of feral pigs in the area, we’ve only had a couple of new sightings reported, which hopefully suggests that there aren’t that many around.”
As well as sightings of the animals, they would also like to know where signs of rooting and ground damage appear.
Last year Forest Enterprise, who manage land at Alyth Hill, put up signs to inform walkers of the presence of wild pigs.
Others are understood to have been seen outside the Forest Enterprise fence and possibly even several miles away.
It is also thought that some feral pigs are being shot by farmers or gamekeepers.
Local sightings of wild boar can be reported to the council by calling 01738 476476 or emailing animalwelfare@pkc. gov.uk.
Sightings can also be reported directly to SNH at www.brc.ac.uk/irecord.
Everyone is welcome to attend the public meeting next month but organisers have asked that people let them know if they will be attending by emailing Tayside_grampian@snh.gov.uk or calling 01738 444177. The meeting is to share information with the public and answer any questions they may have.