{"id":20719,"date":"2022-09-21T16:55:38","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T14:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=63959"},"modified":"2022-09-21T17:09:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T15:09:35","slug":"wild-boar-guide-what-they-eat-where-to-see-them-and-how-they-returned-to-the-uk-countryside","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/wild-boar-guide-what-they-eat-where-to-see-them-and-how-they-returned-to-the-uk-countryside\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild boar guide: what they eat, where to see them, and how they returned to the UK countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Chantal Lyons\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 21 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Infamous for wounding and killing King Barathereon in George R. R. Martin\u2019s Song of Ice and Fire<\/em> book series (adapted into the Game of Thrones<\/em> TV series), wild boar are impressive mammals. They were hunted to extinction in the UK by the end of the thirteenth century, but have been accidentally (and sometimes purposefully) released.<\/p>\n

What are wild boar?<\/h2>\n

Wild boar (also known as wild swine and Eurasian wild pig) is a bulky medium-sized mammal, belonging to the Suidae family.<\/p>\n

Where are wild boar found<\/h2>\n

In the UK, the distribution of wild boar is limited to where they have escaped from wild boar farms, with the largest populations in the Forest of Dean and Kent\/Sussex. They are also found in Dorset, Devon and Scotland.<\/p>\n

The wild boar was a very widespread species throughout much of Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n

What do wild boar eat?<\/h2>\n

Wild boar are considered to be ominivores. Although 90% of their diet is made up of plant materials, such as fruits, bulbs, roots, seeds and nuts, they are known to eat invertebrates, eggs, and small mammals and reptiles.<\/p>\n

What is the scientific name of the wild boar?<\/h2>\n
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A wild boar running across a footpath in the Bavarian Forest National Park. \u00a9 Philip Dumas\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The scientific name of the wild boar is Sus scrofa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There are more than 10 recognised subspecies, with Sus scrofa scrofa<\/em> found across much of continental Europe.<\/p>\n

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Are wild boar bad for bluebell woodlands?<\/h2>\n

It depends on your point of view. Wild boar can be enthusiastic consumers of bluebells<\/a>, both the bulbs and the shoots. In the Forest of Dean, some residents claim they have devastated bluebell woods. However, the bluebell woods we adore may in essence be a modern invention.<\/p>\n

Historically, greater woodland plant biodiversity and disturbance from wild boar and other large animals mean that bluebells probably grew less densely than they do now. Researchers have also found that rooting by boar encourages bluebell germination, perhaps by making soil conditions more favourable. Provided that boar do not frequently return to root the same area, bluebell stands should endure.<\/p>\n

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Rooting by wild boar causing damage on a golf course in Switzerland. \u00a9 Mats Silvan\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

More UK species guides<\/strong><\/p>\n