Wild boar population grows to 500

Contraception may be considered to control wild boar populations
The wild boar population in the English countryside has grown to about 500.
The main group of 200 feral wild boar is in the Kent and Sussex Weald, with about 300 more in Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

The government said the animals escaped from captivity, which had implications for farming, woodland and parkland.

Possible control methods include tracking, trapping or contraception. The government is now going to consult the public on how to manage them.

Given BSE and foot and mouth, it is an issue that some of agriculture is very worried about

Jim Knight
The animals were previously extinct in the wild for 300 years.

Biodiversity minister Jim Knight said: "Do we want to keep them rooting around in woodland and forest, being good for biodiversity as they look for acorns and beech nuts?

"Or should we be controlling the population and getting it back as it was 30 years ago when they were extinct except in farms making nice wild boar sausages?"

Wild boar can cause damage to crops, conservation sites, sports fields and gardens.

They can cause road accidents and even attack people. There is also a risk they could transmit disease to livestock.

Bovine TB

"Given BSE and foot and mouth, it is an issue that some of agriculture is very worried about," said Mr Knight.

"We know from Europe that wild boar can carry swine fever, foot and mouth and bovine TB."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) carried out a five-year monitoring project which ended in 2004.

"Since then we have been looking at more practical issues around how the boar could be tracked and trapped and even looking at contraception if we wanted to control the population," said Mr Knight.

The public consultation will run until 6 January, 2006. Documents can be accessed from Monday 5 September on the Defra website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4208160.stm

leave the poor piggies alone!
let them breed in peace!
(hopefully until they establish substantial populations which will support stalking!)
good shooting!

Contraception to control boar population . Sometime I take confort; foolishness is not an italian exclusive right.

quote:

Originally posted by wildboar:
Contraception to control boar population . Sometime I take confort; foolishness is not an italian exclusive right.

I don't think any country owns those rights. We all share and share a like.
In a few years they will have 5,000 pigs and a trip to the country side will have a new meaning. 45-70 might get popular over there.

Contraception on wild boar? Scares the hell out of me to think about that job description.

Just wait a couple of years, and you'll hear farmers and gardenowners sqeal (pun unavoidable)! Pigs multiply fast in mild climates with access to agricultural land for food. Hopefully (for the pigs) corn will be(come) a cash crop in the areas the pigs live. They really thrive on that.

Pigs can be about the most challenging animals to hunt. Many a looong night will be spent waiting for their appearance at the bait. Driven pigs are a lot of fun, but almost a hopeless task without the right dogs.

Here is to the pigs of this World!

- mike