Rutland Deer Management – Wild Boar
Wild Boar breed like “Wild Boar” that is they can multiply like rabbits !! The gestation period for Wild Boar & Feral Pigs is 114 days and sows will have two litters per year of 1 – 6 on average (up to 12 has been recorded), young animals can reach breeding maturity at 7 months so reproduction is rapid !! Usually the litters will be born in the Spring and Autumn.1 pregnant sow in January can reproduce and by the next January you can have 31 Boar and that is only with average litters and 50% females being born, you can imagine what that 31 will become !!
While it may be nice to see the return of a native species of which the young animals are cute looking it is also a nightmare for some in the rural community with boar targeting young trees, root crops, grass land, lawns, flower beds and almost
anything edible they can get at. Effective management is essential to stop an explosion like has been seen in the United States because if left to multiply they can become an enormous problem that has consequences far beyond just crop damage. Wild Boar like to dig things up and they can eat anything, they can also be extremely dangerous to humans.