National Trust criticised after hiring marksman to cull wild boar

Animals to be removed from Stourhead estate after complaints from ‘intimidated’ visitors

Steven Morris

Mon 19 Nov 2018 12.00 GMTLast modified on Mon 19 Nov 2018 19.25 GMT

The National Trust has been criticised for planning to cull wild boar at its Stourhead estate in Wiltshire.

It said it had taken the “difficult decision” to remove the animals from its land following reports that members of the public were feeling intimidated by the prospect of coming face-to-face with a wild boar. The charity added it felt it needed to sanction a cull to protect its staff.

The trust said: “Following recent reports of an unlicensed reintroduction of wild boar on land adjacent to the Stourhead estate and several reports of members of the public being confronted and intimidated, we have taken the difficult decision to remove the animals from the estate.

“We only made this decision after considering the alternatives and after consulting with Natural England. Unfortunately, there are some instances where humane control is necessary – for instance where there are safety concerns for our visitors, staff or volunteers; or to protect other species or habitats. We never take this decision lightly.

“Any cull of wild boar will be carried out by an experienced and licensed marksman who conforms to National Trust standards of safety and animal welfare.”

The 2,650-acre estate is known for its lake, which reflects classical temples, grottoes and rare and exotic trees. It has attracted visitors in the autumn when the colour of the trees can be particularly striking.

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Wild boar sighted near Barcelona city centre looking for food

The animals, usually resident in nearby hills, are venturing close to the Sagrada Família

Stephen Burgen in Barcelona

Sun 4 Nov 2018 12.39 GMTLast modified on Sun 4 Nov 2018 18.44 GMT

The wild boar that roam the hills above Barcelona are becoming ever more daring in their search for food.

While for some time they have been a familiar sight in the neighbourhoods adjacent to the thickly wooded hills, they have now been spotted in areas closer to the city centre.

Last week three were seen crossing the street near the Sant Pau hospital, which is close to the Sagrada Família, the city’s top tourist attraction. A day later three more were photographed near the Mercè market in the Nou Barris area of the city.

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Wild boar bites off man's fingertip in Forest of Dean

Public advised to steer clear of wild boar after Clive Lilley, 53, was attacked in Gloucestershire while walking his dog

Steven Morris

Thu 11 Jan 2018 09.44 GMTLast modified on Thu 11 Jan 2018 22.00 GMT

Walkers in south-west England have been advised to steer clear of wild boar after a man reported that the tip of his finger was bitten off by a large hog.

Clive Lilley, 53, said he was attacked by the animal as he took a morning stroll with his labrador down a woodland track in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. He said the boar burst out of undergrowth and ripped off the top of his right forefinger.

Lilley said he did not realise how seriously he had been injured until he removed his glove and the end of his finger fell out.

He said: “I called an ambulance, which took me to hospital to have it sewn up. They told me it should grow back around as it did not take the nail off, although there will be a scar.

“I’ve met hundreds of wild boar in the woods previously and never been attacked. I have never heard of anyone ever having been injured in this way so there is a possibility it was a rogue pig.”

Boar became extinct in England 300 years ago. The modern Forest of Dean population established itself after an escape from a wild boar farm in the 1990s and an illegal release in 2004.

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Hunter dies in Germany after wild boar he was trying to shoot attacked him

Man, 50, was on boar hunt near north-eastern town of Greifswald

He encountered animal in reeds after firing shot, witnesses say

Monday 4 December 2017 19.20 GMTLast modified on Monday 4 December 2017 20.28 GMT

Police in Germany say a hunter has died after being attacked by a wild boar he was trying to shoot.

The 50-year-old man was on a boar hunt with a dozen others near the north-eastern town of Greifswald on Sunday when he was attacked by the male boar.

Witnesses reported that he fired off a shot and then moved into some reeds, where he apparently encountered the pig.

Police say the man suffered serious injuries to his left thigh and fell into nearby water. He died at a hospital and has not been identified.

Police say the boar’s whereabouts are unknown, and it is not clear if the animal was injured.

About 500,000 wild boars are killed each year in Germany. Experts say that is not enough to stop the population from growing.

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Wild boar gives British ambassador to Austria a scare

Envoy recounts being charged at by ‘massive’ specimen, resulting in minor injuries as he slipped during his escape

Tuesday 16 May 2017 17.14 BST Last modified on Tuesday 16 May 2017 18.51 BST 

Britain’s ambassador to Austria has generally been given a warm welcome, but a local wild boar appeared to have little time for diplomatic niceties. Leigh Turner, who took up the post last August, has revealed that while walking in woods near Vienna earlier this month, he was chased by a “massive” specimen and sustained minor injuries.

Turning a corner, Turner found himself face-to-face with a group of “four or five hulking adults and countless piglets”. He turned and walked away slowly. “Moments later I hear a noise behind me like a galloping horse, and turn to see a massive wild boar, head down, charging straight at me,” Turner recounted on his blog.

Turner tried to escape by climbing a pile of tree trunks, but slipped on the wet wood, scratching and bruising himself in the process.

“By the time I turned round, the boar [no doubt thinking, ‘That’s got rid of that swine’] had trotted back to join the rest of the group, which was melting back into the forest,” he said. “All my minor injuries were self-inflicted: the boar never made contact.”

Source 

Call for end to hunting curbs as wild boars rampage across Italy

The number of wild boar in Italy has almost doubled over the past decade until about a million animals roam the country, killing livestock and destroying crops

Isla Binnie Castell’Azzara 

Sunday 8 November 2015

Dogs and men prick up their ears at a rustle in the undergrowth, a rifle cracks and a big black boar thuds to the ground, killed by a single bullet.

The hunters of Castell’Azzara, Tuscany, celebrate as they heave the 154lb sow and a handful of other slain animals back to their lodge to be skinned, but their haul barely dents Italy’s soaring wild boar population.

Extinct across much of the country by the end of the 1800s, the number of wild boar in Italy has almost doubled over the past decade and there are now about a million roaming the country, environmental and agricultural associations say.

Rampaging boar, along with other wild animals such as river rats, have caused €100m (£71m) of damage by destroying crops, killing livestock and causing road accidents in the past year, according to the Italian farmers’ organisation, Coldiretti.

Isolated accounts of attacks on people have also fuelled concern. A man died in the northern town of Iseo in May, apparently bitten by a boar, and a pensioner was reportedly attacked and killed while walking his dog in Sicily.

“If some unfortunate person comes across a sow with piglets, his life is at risk,” said Castell’Azzara native Francesco Vicarelli, 49, after taking part in the braccata (group hunt with dogs) on the first day of the new winter season.

Tuscany, whose largely unspoilt countryside conceals a higher concentration of boar than any other part of Italy, faces an “emergency” according to environment minister Silvia Velo. The animals were brought mainly from eastern Europe during the 1950s to facilitate hunting, which is as passionately defended by its practitioners as it is opposed by environmentalists. But hunting’s popularity has dwindled and hunters say they can only combat the burgeoning boar population if current curbs are loosened.

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European wild boar numbers increase due to climate change

AUGUST 13, 2015

by Eric Hopton

The number of wild boars in Europe has grown constantly since the 1980s, and this is great news for the boars, but is not so popular with the continent’s farmers. More boars mean more problems for agriculture. These animals are big and can do a lot of damage to farms, as males can weigh more than 200 lb, have a body length of almost six feet, can run at 25 miles an hour, and jump more than four feet high.

Counting the boars was no easy task. “It is not so easy to determine the number of wild boars in Europe,” said wildlife biologist and first author of the study, Sebastian Vetter. “Therefore we analyzed data on hunting bags and road accidents involving wild boar. Doing this we were able to depict the growth of the wild boar population.”

Vetter and his colleagues gathered boar population data from as far back as 150 years covering twelve European countries. They compared population growth to temperature and precipitation data and identified a clear trend.

Wild boars get busy during mild winters

“There is a sharp increase in the number of wild boars after mild winters. As mild winters are becoming more frequent, also wild boar populations are growing exponentially,” Vetter said.

Part of the explanation is a process known as “thermoregulation”. In low temperatures, animals expend more energy to maintain a high body temperature, leaving less energy available for reproduction and rearing offspring in the following year and, in these harder winters, fewer piglets survive.

Read more at

Wild Boar Falls Through Mall Ceiling In Hong Kong, Hams It Up Inside Children's Store

The Huffington Post | By Ryan Grenoble

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Posted: 05/11/2015 3:26 pm EDT Updated: 05/12/2015 9:59 am EDT

A wild boar fell through the ceiling of a children's clothing store in Hong Kong on Sunday -- and the video has the Internet squealing.

According to the South China Morning Post, the incident resulted in a four-hour standoff whttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/wild-boar-falls-mall-ceiling-china-video_n_7259158.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20Newsith police after employees at the Chai Wan shopping mall in Hong Kong first spotted the animal, then fled the children's boutique, leaving the boar trapped inside.

It's not clear exactly how the boar got into the mall in the first place, although the Associated Press notes that the animals are common in Hong Kong and can often be seen wandering around in the hills.

The boar apparently made it into the ceiling by climbing up a ladder in the back room of the shop, reports the Associated Press. It punched through a corner of the false ceiling onto an elevated display case, then proceeded to ham it up in the store,knocking over a few mannequins in the process, according to the BBC.

The incident came to a close after a vet tranquilized the animal and took it to a wildlife center for observation, reports the South China Morning Post.

Source

Wild boars arrive in Istanbul due to loss of habitat

Wild boar sightings increase in Turkey’s largest city as huge construction projects drive the animals from nearby forests

Zia Weise in Istanbul

Friday 6 March 2015 15.12 GMT

Wild boars are returning to Istanbul as giant construction projects shrink their habitat in the city’s northern forests.

Last week, a group of boars stormed the garden of a luxury housing complex in Sariyer on Istanbul’s European side, sending residents and a security guard running.

The animals quickly disappeared into a nearby wood, but sightings of boars in the inner districts of Turkey’s largest city have become more frequent over the past months.

Ecologists and activists believe that Istanbul’s enormous construction projects are driving the boars from their natural habitat in the city’s northern forests, where a third Bosphorus bridge is nearing completion and a third airport is being built.

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Wild boar causes flight delays at Spain's main airport

February 14, 2015 9:46 AM

MADRID (AP) — Spain's airport authority says a wild boar that broke through a perimeter fence at Madrid's international airport caused runways to be shut briefly and two landings to be delayed.

The beast set off security alarms late Friday and when cameras focused on the spot, operators observed it turning around and loping off through the hole it had made.

The incident happened 100 meters (330 feet) from the nearest stretch of runway. It delayed an incoming flight from London 20 minutes and a domestic flight from A Coruna 10 minutes, the airport authority's statement said Saturday.

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There should be no cull of wild boar because of one fatal conflict

Kevin Heath / 1 day ago

Despite the tragic death of a motorist who collided with a wild boar near Swindon there should be no widespread cull of the animal. A number of wildlife, conservationists and rural organisations are calling for a large cull of the animals because of the damage they do and the fatality has given them the opportunity to press hard for the action.

As tragic as the death is the impact of wild boar on the countryside is minimal and the current calls for culling is not justifiable. When you have wild animals and humans living in close contact there will always be conflicts – including the occasional death. But in the UK deaths of humans in wildlife conflict are very rare.

Other countries have much greater issues with their wildlife conflicts. Dozens of people die each year from tiger and leopard attacks. Africa sees hundreds of deaths each year from elephant, lion and hippo attacks. Farms across the world are regularly raided by and disrupted by a whole range of animals.

When a tiger kills a person in India or Nepal there is not a call or plan to cull all the tigers in the area. The culprit tiger may be caught and moved to another area or if absolutely essential killed but there is no widespread cull of tigers.

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Driver dies in crash with wild boar on M4

Man killed as Seat Ibiza strikes wild boar on motorway between Chippenham and Swindon in Wiltshire before being hit by articulated lorry

By Agency

11:31AM GMT 06 Jan 2015

A driver was killed when his car hit a wild boar on a motorway before being struck by a lorry.

Emergency services were called to the scene on the M4, between Chippenham and Swindon in Wiltshire.

The 47-year-old man's black Seat Ibiza had struck a wild boar in lane two of the motorway at 6.40pm on Monday.

His vehicle was then hit by a white Renault articulated lorry, Wiltshire Police said.

The man, from Royal Wootton Bassett, was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed.

The driver of the Renault lorry received treatment at the scene for minor shoulder injuries.

Wiltshire Police closed the road for eight hours while the Collision Investigation Unit attended the scene.

Sergeant Steven Love said: "This is a truly tragic incident and my thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim. It is quite rare for a wild boar to be on the carriageway of the motorway.

"It is more common for the police to receive calls involving horses or deer but each is equally dangerous to motorists.

"This was a particularly large wild animal and would have caused considerable damage to any vehicle."

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France's wild boar hunting condemned as a 'bloody spectacle from another age'

By Rory Mullholland, Paris

11:26PM GMT 17 Nov 2014

Animal rights activists are up in arms about a form of "hunting" that is becoming increasingly popular in France that involves releasing a wild boar into an enclosure and setting Argentinian hunting dogs loose to chase and kill it.

Fans of the practice are believed to be coming to France from abroad to partake in the events that pit the powerful Dogo Argentino, a mastiff which was used to hunt pumas in Argentina, against boars that stand little or no chance of surviving.

Aspas animal rights group says it does not have figures to show how widespread such events are, but believes they take place regularly and are growing in popularity.

It said there were three recent combats in the Var department in Provence alone and condemns the practice as a “bloody spectacle from another age”.

The legality of these events is a grey area in France.

Hunting with dogs is banned across much of Europe, including in Britain, but in France it is still a popular pastime, as is bullfighting in the southern regions, and it faces little opposition from politicians or animal rights groups.

The hunts usually involve chasing deer or boar over open countryside or though forests, with the prey having some chance of escaping alive.

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Issue piece: controlling the wild boar population in the Forest of Dean

WILD BOAR ARE THRIVING IN THE FOREST OF DEAN, BUT WITH PLANS FOR A CULL IN AUGUST, FORESTRY COMMISSION WILDLIFE MANAGER IAN HARVEY EXPLAINS THE ISSUES

How many wild boar are thought to be living in the Forest of Dean?

We undertook a thermal image survey of the boar in late winter 2013 and this indicated a minimum population of 535 animals, before juvenile recruitment from spring births. We carried out a repeat survey in February 2014 and are awaiting analysis of the results. We anticipate it indicating a growth in the population.

How did the boar come to be here?

Boar became extinct in the UK in the 17th Century through hunting and habitat loss. The boar first became present in Forestry Commission woodlands near Ross on Wye in the 1990s as escapees from a farm. In 2004 a group of about 60 animals were illegally dumped near Staunton to the west of the forest. These two populations have since mingled and bred to form the population that exists today. They are in no way the result of a planned re-introduction programme.

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Arrests after wild boars let loose in Maesteg burglary

Six people have been arrested after wild boars were released during a burglary at a farm in Bridgend county.

More than 40 of the animals could be roaming the area after they were released from their pen following a break-in at Llangynwyd, near Maesteg, at 12:30 BST on Sunday.

Farmer Greg Davies holds a dangerous animals licence and had fencing to prevent escapes, said police.

Anyone who sees the boars is advised not approach them, but to call 101.

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Hunter bags 35-stone boar you have to see to believe

'It takes your breath away for a second to realise how big this hog is,' hunting club owner says

By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo News | Yahoo News – Thu, Mar 13, 2014

It doesn't even look real.

A hunter in North Carolina says he bagged a 35-stone wild pig last month.

Jett Webb, a 34-year-old from Conetoe, N.C., was hunting boar at the White Oak Ranch Hunting Club in Bertie County on Feb. 28 when he spotted the giant swine.

"It was very surreal,” Webb told WNCT-TV. “It was a shock. It was very humbling to say the least, when you walk up on a beast that big and you say, 'Oh my gosh. I had no idea that there could be something that big running around the woods of Eastern North Carolina.’"

The beast had been seen on trail camera footage years ago, but hunters had failed to capture it until Webb, who says he fired a single shot from a .308-calibre AR-15 rifle from about 50 yards, took it down.

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Alderney's 'ghost pig' may be wild boar from France

A wild boar which has been on the loose in Alderney for more than a month is thought to have swum there from the nearby French coast.

The boar found its way into a pig farm on Friday but, when approached, escaped by jumping over a 1m (3ft) stock fence.

Farm owner Tess Woodnutt said she would not have believed the animal could jump so high from a standing start, if she had not seen it with her own eyes.

Islanders have dubbed the boar "ghost pig", as it has only been seen at dusk.

Mrs Woodnutt said she first became aware of the boar on 27 September, when she was on holiday and received a call from a fellow islander saying one of their 40 pigs had escaped.

Her son Jake immediately went to the farm and soon established no pigs were missing.

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William and Harry fly to Spain to hunt wild boar to celebrate the end of Harry’s helicopter training

They bagged themselves several brace of pheasant at Sandringham over Christmas.

But at the weekend Prince William and Prince Harry set their sights on bigger game.

The brothers flew to Spain on Friday for a secret hunting trip to celebrate the end of Harry's advanced helicopter training.

The royal pair were staying on an estate in the backwaters of rural Cordoba owned by the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Grosvenor, Britain's third-richest man and one of William's godfathers.

Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the border of Castilla La Mancha, is one of the largest and most exclusive hunting estates in western Europe.

It is teeming with wildlife including wild boar and stag which William and Harry, both crack shots, are said to be keen to bag.

Beaters and packs of dogs were brought in to ensure that the princes did not return home without several 'kills' to their name.

The brothers have visited the estate before and last time were said to have bagged a staggering 740 partridge on a single day.

The second and third in line to the throne arrived in Spain on Friday on separate flights as they are not allowed to travel together in case of an accident.

William , 29, who was not believed to be accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, flew into Seville while Harry, 27, arrived on a private jet at Cuidad Real Central later in the afternoon.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087323/Princes-William-Harry-fly-Spain-secret-weekend-hunting-trip.html#ixzz2feCEaBU8

Forest of Dean wild boar to be culled

Booming population of wild boar in the Forest of Dean

July 2013. The population of wild boar in the Forest of Dean continues to grow, and with no natural predators the only way to keep the population in check is culling, according to the Forestry Commission and many others.

Whilst we all love to see wild boar running wild in the woods and forests, they can be highly destructive, especially to grassy areas (Lawns and pitches) but also occasionally to some crops, including maize; They can also make a serious dent in the front of a car. No one yet, thankfully, has suggested that boar are once again eradicated from the UK, it may be too late to do that anyway, but in some areas it is now considered necessary to control their numbers by culling.

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Wild animal attacks claim two lives

Wild animal attacks claimed two lives in the forest areas of Ernakulam on Monday.

While Lissie (48), a teacher of the single-teacher school in a tribal hamlet of Kunchipara in Kuttampuzha forest, was gored to death by a wild elephant, Annakutty Joseph (67) was killed in a wild boar attack at Mulankuzhy near Malayattoor.

The elephant attack took place at around 7.30 a.m. when the teacher, accompanied by two tribals, Chinnama and Rajamma, was returning home at Mamalakandam near Kuttampuzha. The elephant, which came from behind, chased the women to some distance. While the other women managed to run away, Lissie could not escape the animal.

After knocking her down, the animal went after the tribals only to return to the spot. The pachyderm dragged the body of the victim to some distance and later retreated to the forest. The body of the victim was later recovered.

The incident took place at Swamikuthu Elephant corridor located between Kallerimedu and Kunjippara tribal colony.

There is regular movement of vehicles through the forest route and passengers often encounter wild animals including elephants in the sector. Human-elephant conflicts were a regular feature in the area, said A.M. Soman, Range Officer, Kuttampuzha Forest Range.

Two months ago, elephants had attacked a tribal, who had ventured into the forest to collect honey. The tribal, who sustained serious injuries in the attack, died after weeks of medical treatment. Though the residents are worried about the frequent elephant attacks, the area cannot be fenced as it falls in the elephant corridor.

In another instance, a wild boar attacked an elderly lady, who went to the forest to collect firewood.

Though she was rushed to a nearby hospital, her life could not be saved. The animal, tranquilised by a forest veterinary surgeon, was later released into the forest, said M.P. Saseendran, Forest Range officer, Kalady.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/wild-animal-attacks-claim-two-lives/article4498181.ece