BACK FROM THE BRINK…

Wild boar

After centuries on the cusp of extinction, wild boars are back. Populations now number more than 2,600, with the largest in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean. Adult boars and their young (known as humbugs owing to their stripy coat) are descended from captive animals that escaped in the 1990s. Such unplanned rewilding has been controversial, however: some lament the agricultural damage they cause while others applaud another victory for biodiversity. To track boar, look for tell-tale signs of large areas of uprooted, disturbed soil or slotted hoofprints – and should you come across one, stay still and marvel from a distance (visitdeanwye.co.uk).