VILLAGE OF THE HAMMED
On the trail of the rampaging wild boars terrorising a quiet Scottish community
A VILLAGE is under siege from a herd of wild boars which have dug up gardens and made parts of a golf course look like ploughed fields. The marauding animals, which are thought to have escaped from a country estate, have been spotted in and around the picturesque village of Aberfoyle.
Residents – some of whom have built fences to keep the beasts out – have raised concerns that the wild animals could become aggressive and that children could be injured.
The creatures have already caused thousands of pounds’ worth of damage in the hamlet, which is a popular tourist spot. It is
‘I was shocked when I saw the damage’
understood around 20 boars escaped from the Drumlean Estate several months ago.
Since then, a number have been shot and blood samples are believed to have been taken to identify their source, but there are fears that the non-native species may have already bred, allowing their population to flourish.
Now, an urgent meeting is being sought with the owner of Drumlean Estate to allay residents’ fears.
Some of the worst damage was seen some more than four miles away by road from Drumlean Estate, at Aberfoyle Golf Club. Greenkeeper Alan Dunblane said it took ‘months’ to repair the damage after huge chunks of earth were uprooted by the animals.
The 36-year- old said: ‘I arrived one Sunday morning in early January and initially I thought it was badgers that had caused the damage. But it was over such a large area it couldn’t have been badgers and locals had seen the boars.
‘I was really shocked when I saw the damage. It has taken until now to get the land back to how it should be.
‘We could have put up electric fencing but that’s too difficult and expensive over such a huge area.’
Last night it emerged that a number of the animals have been shot by the estate owner, while others have been shot locally.
According to Stirling Council ‘a small number of boar are likely causing some problems locally’.
A spokesman said: ‘ We understand that several wild boar may have escaped f rom Drumlean Estate, and that efforts are being made by the estate to entice the boars back onto their land.
‘While Stirling Council has the power to take direct action to secure the destruction of dangerous wild animals under certain circumstances, we are hopeful that the efforts currently being made by the estate will be successful. We are in regular contact with Scottish Natural Heritage, Police Scotland, Directorate for Environment and Forestry and the Forestry Commission and will continue to monitor the situation closely.’
Bruce Crawford, Nationalist MSP
‘Instances of them killing lambs’
for the Stirling constituency, raised the concerns after the matter was raised with him by members of the community.
He said: ‘ I am pleased that Stirling Council officers have been actively seeking to resolve this situation and are taking l egal advice and intend to meet the landowner as a matter of urgency in an effort to resolve matters.’
It is an offence to release a nonnative species into the wild.
However, while Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is described as ‘the lead body for terrestrial habits’ there is no legal duty for SNH to take direct action.
According to SNH, it is ‘liaising with private landowners, Police Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and the local authority’.
A spokesman for Forestry Commission Scotland said the body will take action if the animals pose a risk to the public or could cause damage.
‘We continue to monitor for boar on the land that we manage – we recently shot one boar on a restocking site – and refer other land owners who may have similar issues to Scottish Natural Heritage,’ he added.
Lea MacNally, a stalker and former office bearer with the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, said: ‘They are breeding, their numbers are rising and as well as the damage they are causing to farmland, there have been instances of them killing young lambs.’
No one from the estate was available for comment.