Soaring number of boars wreak havoc
Gamekeepers call for guidance on whether the animals can be culled
ILLEGAL breeding may have sparked an explosion in the once-extinct wild boar population.
Up to 1,000 free-roaming boar are living in rural Scotland and their soaring population is wreaking havoc in crop fields.
It is thought that the wild boars may have been bred with domestic pigs and have either escaped or have been illegally released.
THEY were hunted to extinction in Scotland 800 years ago after once roaming free in woods and scrubland.
But seven years after wild boar were reintroduced to their native habitat – amid fears they would perish in Scotland’s harsh winter weather – it appears the roving hogs are flourishing a little too well.
Conservationists are now raising fears that uncontrollable numbers of wild boar are wreaking havoc to crops and farms amid claims they are being bred domestically and illegally released into the wild.
Conservation watchdog Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) believes there are a number of gamekeepers who have bred wild boar with domestic pigs that have either escaped or been illegally released.
It is thought that up to 1,000 free-roaming wild boar may be running loose throughout Scotland.
Reports from the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) suggest it has been left frustrated by a lack of guidance on how to cope with the swelling numbers of boar.
They say land managers should be offered advice on how to dealing with the growing population.
The SGA claims to have called for guidance several years ago so that landowners could know what they can legally and humanely do to minimise damage.
There have even been calls for a cull, as it appears that boar, having initially been given little chance of survival, are actually thriving.
And some experts are concerned that hordes of wild boar – found mainly in Lochaber and the south west of Scotland – could soar to unmanageable levels.
A source at SNH said: “There are concerns that people might be releasing wild boar into the wild; this is illegal.
“Anyone keeping wild boar needs to apply to their local authority for a licence. So I would like to remind owners that enclosures should be secure as they could be penalised if boar escape.
“We are not sure why people would release them.”
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said land managers were “largely in limbo” over what to do.
Wild boar, which can weigh up to 50 stone and run at speeds up to 30mph, are known to damage crops and ‘plough up’ gardens and meadows while rooting for food, which makes them unpopular with landowners
A spokesman for the SGA explained: “There is a recognisable problem, here, but no one wants to put a foot out of line because management of species, illegally released or not, has become a highly politicised issue, which is not helped when government bodies fail to show leadership.
“People need proper guidance as regards management of wild boar and they need to know what they should and should not be doing.”
Alastair MacGugan, SNH’s wildlife management manager, said: “It’s a complicated issue because some farmers may find them a nuisance if they cause agricultural damage, and they could also damage natural habitat by digging up bulbs or eating ground-nesting birds’ eggs.
“The Scottish Government, SNH and other agencies are currently working together to assess the risks and benefits of having wild boar in the Scottish countryside and come up with a plan of what to do next, and get agreement on this plan.”
Boars have no natural predators, except humans.
It is thought that up to 1,000 free-roaming wild boar may be running loose throughout Scotland