Where the boar war is still being fought ...

BRAVE is the dog walker or hiker who does not feel a shiver of fear when confronted by a wild boar in the woods.

In Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean – where the number of boar has doubled to an estimated 1,000 in recent years – they have even been known to charge horse riders.

There may be some relief, therefore, among those who enjoy its ancient tracks and pathways, at the news that marksmen are on target to cull 575 of the creatures.

The Forestry Commission revealed its marksmen shot more than 360 in the last three months of 2015, with the cull on course to achieve its yearly target by Easter.

Kevin Stannard, the Forest of Dean’s deputy surveyor, said: “We started the cull in September. By Christmas we had exceeded the cull from the previous year.”

Thermal imaging surveys last year estimated 1,000 boar in the area – their numbers having doubled in recent years despite an increase in numbers culled.

The boar can cause damage while foraging for food and present a danger to dog walkers and riders as they can charge, particularly when protecting young.

But there are no plans to eradicate them, just to manage the numbers. And the Commission warned it only has responsibility for culling boar on Crown land. On private land, the landowner must deal with them.

“Feral wild boar don’t hold territories so they are constantly moving around the forest, moving out on to agricultural land, moving into the villages,” said Mr Stannard.