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(Redirected from Wild boar)
The 'wild boar' (''Sus scrofa'') is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is in the same Suidae biological family as the Warthog and Bushpig of Africa, the Pygmy Hog of northern India, Babirusa of Indonesia and others.
The wild boar became extinct in Great Britain and Ireland by the 17th century, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, particularly the Weald, following escapes from boar farms.[1]
The body of the wild boar is compact, the head is large, the legs relatively short. The fur consits of stiff bristles and usually finer fur. The colour usually varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are great regional differences in colour, even whitish animals are known from central Asia.[2] During winter the fur is much denser.
The size also varies highly within the range. Full grown female wild boars (5 years or older) have a body length of about 135 cm and a weight of 55-70 kg in central Europe, while adult males reach 140-150 cm and weigh between 80 and 90 kg there. In some areas, like Astrachan and the Caucasus wild boars grow much larger, with males reaching a body length of 200cm and a weight of 200 kg. In the 1930s animals with 260 kg were shot in the Volga delta and at the Syr Daria. In the Russian Far East and the Carpathians, males of more than 300 kg have reported, but due to intensive hunting, the size of wild boars has declined. Currently, animals weighing 200 kg are counted as very large.[2]
The tusks serve as weapons and grow continually. The lower tusks of a adult male measure about 20cm (from which seldom more than 10 cm protrude out of the mouth), in exceptional cases even 30 cm. The upper tusks are bent upwards in males, in females they are smaller, and the upper tusks are only slightly bent upwards in older individuals.
The wild boar is originally found in Northern Africa and much of Eurasia from the British Isles to Japan and the Sunda Islands. In the North it reached Southern Scaninavia and Southern Siberia.
A few centuries ago it was found in Northern Africa along the Nile valley up to Khartum and north of the Sahara. The reconstructed northern boundary of the Range in Asia ran from Lake Ladoga (at 60°N) through the area of Novgorod and Moskow into the southern Ural, where it reached 52°N. From there the boundary passed Ishim and farther east the Irtysh at 56°N. In the eastern Baraba steppe (near Novosibirsk) the boundary turned steep south, encircled the Altai Mountains, went again eastward including the Tannu-Ola Mountains and Lake Baikal. From here the boundary went slightly north of the Amur River eastward to its lower reaches at the China Sea. At Sachalin there are only fossil reports of wild boar. The Southern boundaries in Europe and Asia were almost everywhere identical to the sea shores of these continents. In dry deserts and high mountain ranges the wild boar is naturally absent. So it is absent in the dry regions of Mongolia from 44-46°N southward, in China westward of Sichuan and in India north of the Himalaya. In high altitudes of Pamir and Tien Shan they are also absent, however at Tarim basin and on the lower slopes of the Tien Shan they do occur.[2]
In the last centuries the range of wild boar changed dramatically because of human and perhaps also climatic influence. They probably became extinct in Great Britain in the 13th century: certainly none remained in southern England by 1610, when King James I reintroduced them to Windsor Great Park. This attempt failed due to poaching, and later attempts met the same fate. By 1700 there were no wild boars remaining in Britain. In Denmark the last were shot at the beginning of the 19th century, in 1900 they were absent in Tunesia and in Sudan and large areas of Germany, Austria and Italy were clear of wild boar. In Russia they where extinct in wide areas in the 1930s and the northern boundary has shifted far to the south, especially in the parts to the west of the Altai.
Thenceforward the species recaptured vast areas of the former range. In 1950 wild boar had reached the original northern boundary in many places of their Asiatic range again. In 1960 they reached even Saint Petersburg and Moscow and in 1975 they were found in Archangelsk and Astrachan. In the 1970s they occurred again in Denmark and Sweden, where captured animals managed to escape and survive in the wild and in the 1990s they migrated into the Toscana.
Between then and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent were present in Britain. Because wild boar are included in the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 certain legal requirements have to be met prior to setting up a farm. A licence to keep boar is required from the local council who will appoint a specialist to inspect the premises and report back to the council. Requirements include secure accommodation and fencing, correct drainage, temperature, lighting, hygiene, ventilation and insurance.
Occasional escapes of wild boar have occurred since the 1970s. Early escapes occurred from Wildlife Parks but since the early 1990s more escapes have been from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for wild boar meat has grown. By the 1990s a breeding population was rumoured to have established in areas of Kent and East Sussex.
In 1998, a MAFF (now DEFRA) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain, one in Kent and East Sussex and another in Dorset.
It is now generally accepted that the boar are back for good, and that they will probably not be eradicated for a second time. Organised hunts are now taking place for the first time in 300 years.
;Populations:
# Kent and East Sussex. Originated in late 1980s from a now defunct wild boar farm in Tenterden, Kent, supplemented with escapees from an also defunct abbatoir near Ashford, Kent. Population numbers now well over 100 animals.
# Dorset. Originated in mid 1990s from a now defunct wild boar farm in Bridport, Dorset. Recently supplemented with escapees from an operating boar farm in same area. Population numbers around 100 animals.
# Herefordshire, Ross-on-Wye. Originated in late 1990s from a now defunct wild boar farm south of Ross-on-Wye. Population numbers increasing. Population probably above 50.
# Gloucestershire, Forest of Dean. Many sows and piglets have been observed. Origin uncertain - either migrants from Ross-on-Wye population but more likely separate population from unknown source (possibly an unofficial deliberate release). Population probably in region of 50.
# Devon, Exmoor. On 23 December 2005, dozens of wild boar escaped from a wild boar farm after the fences were deliberately cut. Unknown number still at large.
# Scarborough, North Yorkshire. There is known to be a group of boars that inhabit Newby near Scarborough.
At the beginning of the 20th century wild boar were introduced for hunting in the USA, where they interbred in parts with free roaming domestic pigs. In South America, New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and other islands wild boar have also been introduced by humans and have partially interbred with domestic pigs.
The difference between the wild and domestic animals is largely a matter of perception; both are usually described as ''Sus scrofa'', and domestic pigs quite readily become feral. The characterization of populations as wild, feral or domestic in pig or boar is usually decided by where the animals are encountered and what is known of their history. In New Zealand for example, wild pigs are known as "Captain Cookers" from their supposed descent from liberations and gifts to MÄori by explorer Captain James Cook in the 1770s.[5]
The term ''boar'' is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since ''boar'' or ''wild boar'' refers to the species itself.[6]
One characteristic by which domestic breed and wild animals are differentiated is coats. Wild animals almost always have thick, short bristly coats ranging in colour from brown through grey to black. A prominent ridge of hair matching the spine is also common, giving rise to the name ''razorback'' in the southern United States. The tail is usually short and straight. Wild animals tend also to have longer legs than domestic breeds and a longer and narrower head and snout. European adult males can be up to 200 kg (sometimes up to 300 kg in certain areas, particularly Eastern Europe) and have both upper and lower tusks; females do not have tusks and are around a third smaller on average.
A very large swine dubbed Hogzilla was shot in Georgia, USA in June 2004.[7] Initially thought to be a hoax, the story became something of an internet sensation. National Geographic Explorer investigated the story, sending scientists into the field. After exhuming the animal and performing DNA testing it was determined that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic swine.[8]
Wild boars live in groups called ''sounders''. Sounders typically contain around 20 animals, but groups of over 50 have been seen. In a typical sounder there are two or three sows and their offspring; adult males are not part of the sounder outside of a breeding cycle, two to three per year, and are usually found alone. Birth, called farrowing, usually occurs in a secluded area away from the sounder; a litter will typically contain 4-6 piglets.(p. 6)
The animals are usually nocturnal, foraging from dusk until dawn but with resting periods during both night and day.(p. 4-5, 8-9) They eat almost anything they come across, including nuts, berries, carrion, roots, tubers, refuse, insects, small reptiles--even young deer and lambs.(p. 9-10)
Boars are the only hoofed animals known to dig burrows, a habit which can be explained by the fact that they are the only known mammals lacking brown adipose tissue. Therefore, they need to find other ways to protect themselves from the cold. For the same reason, piglets often shiver to produce heat themselves.[9]
If surprised or cornered, a boar (and particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young vigorously. The male lowers its head, charges, and then slashes upward with its tusks. The female, which is tuskless, charges with its head up, mouth wide, and bites. Such attacks are rarely fatal to humans, but severe trauma and blood loss can easily result.
''Sus scrofa'' has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas:
★ ''Sus scrofa scrofa'' (western Africa, Europe)
★ ''Sus scrofa ussuricus'' (northern Asia and Japan)
★ ''Sus scrofa cristatus'' (Asia Minor, India)
★ ''Sus scrofa vittatus'' (Indonesia)
In Greek mythology two boars are particularly well known. The Erymanthian Boar was hunted by Hercules as one of his Twelve Labours, and the Calydonian Boar was hunted in the ''Calydonian Hunt'' by dozens of other mythological heroes, including some of the Argonauts and the huntress Atalanta.
In Celtic mythology the boar was sacred to the goddess Arduinna[10][11], and boar hunting features in several stories of Celtic and Irish mythology. One such story is that of how Fionn mac Cumhaill ("Finn McCool") lured his rival Diarmuid Ua Duibhne to his death - gored by a wild boar.
The Norse gods Freyr and Freyja both had boars. Freyr’s boar was named Gullinbursti ("Golden Mane"), who was manufactured by the Sons of Ivaldi as a gift to Freyr. The bristles in Gullinbursti’s mane glowed in the dark to illuminate the way for his owner. Freya rode the boar Hildesvini (Battle Swine) when she was not using her cat-drawn chariot. According to the poem Hyndluljóð, Freyja concealed the identity of her protégé Óttar by turning him into a boar. In Norse mythology, the boar was generally associated with fertility as well as a protective talisman in war, due to the animal's sometimes fierce nature.
In Persia (Iran) during Sassanid Empire, boars were respected as fierce and brave creatures and the adjective "Boraz (Goraz)" meaning Boar was sometimes added to a person's name to show his bravery and courage. The famous Sassanid spahbod, Shahrbaraz, who conquered Egypt and the Levant, had his name derived ''Shar + Baraz'' meaning "Boar of the Kingdom"
Three boars are seen on the Grimsby coat of arms.
In Hindu mythology, the third avatar of the Lord Vishnu was Varaha, a boar.
In Chinese horoscope the boar (sometimes also translated as ''pig''), is one of the twelve animals of the zodiac, based on the legends about its creation, either involving Buddha or the Jade Emperor.
The boar and a boar's head are common charges in heraldry. A complete beast may represent what are seen as the positive qualities of the boar, namely courage and fierceness in battle; a boar's head may represent hospitality (from the custom of serving the boar's head in feasts), or it may symbolise that the bearer of the arms is a noted hunter.
Scottish Highland Clan Campbell uses the boar on its badge to symbolize courage and fierceness. The chiefs of clans Gordon, Nesbitt and Urquhart similarly uses three boars' heads on their coat of arms. The wild boar was a symbol of Richard III of England.[12]
However boar charges also lend themselves very well to canting (heraldic punning). The German towns of Eberbach and Ebersbach an der Fils, both in Baden-Württemberg, and Ebersbach, Saxony use civic arms that demonstrates this. Each depicts a boar - ''Eber'' in German (and in two cases a wavy fess or bars meant to represent a brook - ''Bach'' in German).
In Belgium, the wild boar is the symbolic animal of the Ardennes forests in the south of the country, and is the mascot of one of the Belgian Army's premier infantry regiments, the Chasseurs Ardennais, the soldiers of which wear a boar's head pin on their beret.
A full sized boar is a large strong animal armed with sharp tusks which defends itself strongly; so hunting has often been a test of bravery.
Historically, boar hunting was done by groups of spearmen using a specialized boar spear. The boar spear was fitted with a cross guard to stop the enraged animal driving its pierced body further down the shaft in order to attack its killer before dying. Specialized boar swords were also used in boar hunting, and also large hunting dogs, which would usually be equipped with heavy leather armour. See also medieval hunting.
In Persia aristocratic hunters used elephants to chase the boars and encircle them in marshland. The hunter would then use a bow to shoot the boars from a boat. Elephants carried the bodies to the hunting camp. The rock reliefs of these scenes have remained largely intact in Taq-e Bostan.
In India, hunting from horseback, called pigsticking, was popular among the Maharajas, and with British officers during Victorian and Edwardian times.[13] Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement wrote a book on the subject.[14]
Currently wild boars are hunted both for their meat and to mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. It has been said that one "only gets one shot" at a charging boar, because its hide is quite thick, its bones are quite dense, and anything less than a "kill shot" will allow the boar to continue its charge, which it will: hunters have reported being butted up into trees by boars that have already taken a glancing shot.
Generally dogs are used, sometimes now wearing Kevlar vests, to track and subdue their quarry. These dogs are loosely divided into two categories, bay dogs, and catch dogs.
Bay dogs harass and harry the boar, keeping it cornered in one place, while intensely vocalizing. This behavior is known as "baying" or keeping the boar "at bay". The bay dogs vocalizing alerts the hunter(s) to the bay, and the dogs maintain a slight distance from the boar allowing the hunter(s), once caught up, to dispatch the boar with a well placed rifle shot. Bay dogs are typically Cur dogs such as the Leopard Cur, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Blackmouth Cur, Catahoula) and trailing scent hounds such as the Walker Hound, Foxhound, Plott Hound).
Catch dogs physically take hold of the boar, typically seizing the base of the boar's ear. Once the catch dogs have physical control of the boar, they will hold it down by the head indefinitely until the hunter arrives. The hunter then comes in from behind the boar, and dispatches the boar with a knife or spear. Catch dogs are typically "Bully" breeds such as the Bulldog, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull Terrier) and other molossers such as the Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso and smaller Mastiff crosses).
In several countries such hunting is a very popular recreation.
It is known as "pig hunting" in Australia and New Zealand[15] In these two countries the "baying" of the dogs is colloquially referred to as "bailing".[16] Popular "pig dogs" in Australia include Staghounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhound crosses, various Terriers, and purpose bred crosses.
It is known as "hog hunting" in the South of the United States.[17] Popular "hog dogs" in the U.S. include Blackmouth Curs, Catahoulas, Pit Bulls, Walker Hounds, and purpose bred crosses.
The Weiser Weight and Tusk Trophy Wild Boar Record Book records hunting records by the "Weiser Weight & Tusk" scoring system or "WWT."[18] The scoring system works focuses on body weight and tusk size.
The hair of the boar was often used for the production of the toothbrush until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s.[19]
The hair for the bristles usually came from the neck area of the boar. While such brushes were popular because the bristles were soft, this was not the best material for oral hygiene as the hairs were slow to dry and usually retained bacteria. Boar hair is also used in the manufacture of the boar bristle hairbrush. Boar bristles continue to be used in the manufacture of premium dart boards for use with steel-tipped darts: a large quantity of bristles are aligned parallel to each other and compressed in a circular band of steel to form the board.
Boars are sometimes farmed for their meat. Boar meat is eaten as food in several countries. Wild boar meat consumption has been linked to transmission of Hepatitis E.[20]
★ List of pigs over 1000 pounds
1. Current Status and Potential Impact of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the English Countryside: A Risk Assessment. Report to Conservation Management Division C, MAFF. M.J. Goulding B.Sc. M.Sc.
2.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
3.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
4.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
5. , , Tony, Horwitz, Picador, ,
6. Taxonomy Browser: Sus Scrofa
7. DNA tests to reveal if possible record-size boar is a pig in a poke Shaila Dewan
8. The Mystery of Hogzilla Solved
9. Shiver Me Piglets! Catherine Scullion
10. Celtic Encyclopaedia
11. les-ardennes.net
12. boar
13. www.tribuneindia.com
14. pinetreeweb.com
15. Hunting books www.lifesaboar.co.nz
16. ozemail.com.au
17. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
18.
Official scoring system www.brutalboarcreations.com
19. Dental Encyclopedia
20. Hepatitis E Virus Transmission from Wild Boar Meat, Li T-C, Chijiwa K, Sera N, Ishibashi T, Etoh Y, Shinohara Y, et al., , , Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet], 2005
★ "Hunt goes on to find missing boar" (from BBC News)
★ Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) photos
★ Scoring system, official rules and category links
★ British Wild Boar
★ BBC News Release
★ BBC News Release
★ Wild Boar UK
The 'wild boar' (''Sus scrofa'') is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is in the same Suidae biological family as the Warthog and Bushpig of Africa, the Pygmy Hog of northern India, Babirusa of Indonesia and others.
The wild boar became extinct in Great Britain and Ireland by the 17th century, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, particularly the Weald, following escapes from boar farms.[1]
Physical characteristics
The body of the wild boar is compact, the head is large, the legs relatively short. The fur consits of stiff bristles and usually finer fur. The colour usually varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are great regional differences in colour, even whitish animals are known from central Asia.[2] During winter the fur is much denser.
The size also varies highly within the range. Full grown female wild boars (5 years or older) have a body length of about 135 cm and a weight of 55-70 kg in central Europe, while adult males reach 140-150 cm and weigh between 80 and 90 kg there. In some areas, like Astrachan and the Caucasus wild boars grow much larger, with males reaching a body length of 200cm and a weight of 200 kg. In the 1930s animals with 260 kg were shot in the Volga delta and at the Syr Daria. In the Russian Far East and the Carpathians, males of more than 300 kg have reported, but due to intensive hunting, the size of wild boars has declined. Currently, animals weighing 200 kg are counted as very large.[2]
The tusks serve as weapons and grow continually. The lower tusks of a adult male measure about 20cm (from which seldom more than 10 cm protrude out of the mouth), in exceptional cases even 30 cm. The upper tusks are bent upwards in males, in females they are smaller, and the upper tusks are only slightly bent upwards in older individuals.
Range
Adult wild boar
Reconstructed range
The wild boar is originally found in Northern Africa and much of Eurasia from the British Isles to Japan and the Sunda Islands. In the North it reached Southern Scaninavia and Southern Siberia.
A few centuries ago it was found in Northern Africa along the Nile valley up to Khartum and north of the Sahara. The reconstructed northern boundary of the Range in Asia ran from Lake Ladoga (at 60°N) through the area of Novgorod and Moskow into the southern Ural, where it reached 52°N. From there the boundary passed Ishim and farther east the Irtysh at 56°N. In the eastern Baraba steppe (near Novosibirsk) the boundary turned steep south, encircled the Altai Mountains, went again eastward including the Tannu-Ola Mountains and Lake Baikal. From here the boundary went slightly north of the Amur River eastward to its lower reaches at the China Sea. At Sachalin there are only fossil reports of wild boar. The Southern boundaries in Europe and Asia were almost everywhere identical to the sea shores of these continents. In dry deserts and high mountain ranges the wild boar is naturally absent. So it is absent in the dry regions of Mongolia from 44-46°N southward, in China westward of Sichuan and in India north of the Himalaya. In high altitudes of Pamir and Tien Shan they are also absent, however at Tarim basin and on the lower slopes of the Tien Shan they do occur.[2]
Present range
In the last centuries the range of wild boar changed dramatically because of human and perhaps also climatic influence. They probably became extinct in Great Britain in the 13th century: certainly none remained in southern England by 1610, when King James I reintroduced them to Windsor Great Park. This attempt failed due to poaching, and later attempts met the same fate. By 1700 there were no wild boars remaining in Britain. In Denmark the last were shot at the beginning of the 19th century, in 1900 they were absent in Tunesia and in Sudan and large areas of Germany, Austria and Italy were clear of wild boar. In Russia they where extinct in wide areas in the 1930s and the northern boundary has shifted far to the south, especially in the parts to the west of the Altai.
Thenceforward the species recaptured vast areas of the former range. In 1950 wild boar had reached the original northern boundary in many places of their Asiatic range again. In 1960 they reached even Saint Petersburg and Moscow and in 1975 they were found in Archangelsk and Astrachan. In the 1970s they occurred again in Denmark and Sweden, where captured animals managed to escape and survive in the wild and in the 1990s they migrated into the Toscana.
Status in Britain
Between then and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent were present in Britain. Because wild boar are included in the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 certain legal requirements have to be met prior to setting up a farm. A licence to keep boar is required from the local council who will appoint a specialist to inspect the premises and report back to the council. Requirements include secure accommodation and fencing, correct drainage, temperature, lighting, hygiene, ventilation and insurance.
Occasional escapes of wild boar have occurred since the 1970s. Early escapes occurred from Wildlife Parks but since the early 1990s more escapes have been from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for wild boar meat has grown. By the 1990s a breeding population was rumoured to have established in areas of Kent and East Sussex.
In 1998, a MAFF (now DEFRA) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain, one in Kent and East Sussex and another in Dorset.
It is now generally accepted that the boar are back for good, and that they will probably not be eradicated for a second time. Organised hunts are now taking place for the first time in 300 years.
;Populations:
# Kent and East Sussex. Originated in late 1980s from a now defunct wild boar farm in Tenterden, Kent, supplemented with escapees from an also defunct abbatoir near Ashford, Kent. Population numbers now well over 100 animals.
# Dorset. Originated in mid 1990s from a now defunct wild boar farm in Bridport, Dorset. Recently supplemented with escapees from an operating boar farm in same area. Population numbers around 100 animals.
# Herefordshire, Ross-on-Wye. Originated in late 1990s from a now defunct wild boar farm south of Ross-on-Wye. Population numbers increasing. Population probably above 50.
# Gloucestershire, Forest of Dean. Many sows and piglets have been observed. Origin uncertain - either migrants from Ross-on-Wye population but more likely separate population from unknown source (possibly an unofficial deliberate release). Population probably in region of 50.
# Devon, Exmoor. On 23 December 2005, dozens of wild boar escaped from a wild boar farm after the fences were deliberately cut. Unknown number still at large.
# Scarborough, North Yorkshire. There is known to be a group of boars that inhabit Newby near Scarborough.
Introduced wild boars
Wild boars in the USA (hereCape Canaveral, Florida) are introduced by humans
At the beginning of the 20th century wild boar were introduced for hunting in the USA, where they interbred in parts with free roaming domestic pigs. In South America, New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and other islands wild boar have also been introduced by humans and have partially interbred with domestic pigs.
Wild or feral
The difference between the wild and domestic animals is largely a matter of perception; both are usually described as ''Sus scrofa'', and domestic pigs quite readily become feral. The characterization of populations as wild, feral or domestic in pig or boar is usually decided by where the animals are encountered and what is known of their history. In New Zealand for example, wild pigs are known as "Captain Cookers" from their supposed descent from liberations and gifts to MÄori by explorer Captain James Cook in the 1770s.[5]
The term ''boar'' is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since ''boar'' or ''wild boar'' refers to the species itself.[6]
One characteristic by which domestic breed and wild animals are differentiated is coats. Wild animals almost always have thick, short bristly coats ranging in colour from brown through grey to black. A prominent ridge of hair matching the spine is also common, giving rise to the name ''razorback'' in the southern United States. The tail is usually short and straight. Wild animals tend also to have longer legs than domestic breeds and a longer and narrower head and snout. European adult males can be up to 200 kg (sometimes up to 300 kg in certain areas, particularly Eastern Europe) and have both upper and lower tusks; females do not have tusks and are around a third smaller on average.
A very large swine dubbed Hogzilla was shot in Georgia, USA in June 2004.[7] Initially thought to be a hoax, the story became something of an internet sensation. National Geographic Explorer investigated the story, sending scientists into the field. After exhuming the animal and performing DNA testing it was determined that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic swine.[8]
Habits
Young piglets feeding
Wild boars live in groups called ''sounders''. Sounders typically contain around 20 animals, but groups of over 50 have been seen. In a typical sounder there are two or three sows and their offspring; adult males are not part of the sounder outside of a breeding cycle, two to three per year, and are usually found alone. Birth, called farrowing, usually occurs in a secluded area away from the sounder; a litter will typically contain 4-6 piglets.(p. 6)
The animals are usually nocturnal, foraging from dusk until dawn but with resting periods during both night and day.(p. 4-5, 8-9) They eat almost anything they come across, including nuts, berries, carrion, roots, tubers, refuse, insects, small reptiles--even young deer and lambs.(p. 9-10)
Boars are the only hoofed animals known to dig burrows, a habit which can be explained by the fact that they are the only known mammals lacking brown adipose tissue. Therefore, they need to find other ways to protect themselves from the cold. For the same reason, piglets often shiver to produce heat themselves.[9]
If surprised or cornered, a boar (and particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young vigorously. The male lowers its head, charges, and then slashes upward with its tusks. The female, which is tuskless, charges with its head up, mouth wide, and bites. Such attacks are rarely fatal to humans, but severe trauma and blood loss can easily result.
Subspecies
Indian wild boar (''Sus scrofa cristatus'') at Ranthambore National Park
''Sus scrofa'' has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas:
★ ''Sus scrofa scrofa'' (western Africa, Europe)
★ ''Sus scrofa ussuricus'' (northern Asia and Japan)
★ ''Sus scrofa cristatus'' (Asia Minor, India)
★ ''Sus scrofa vittatus'' (Indonesia)
Mythology and religion
In Greek mythology two boars are particularly well known. The Erymanthian Boar was hunted by Hercules as one of his Twelve Labours, and the Calydonian Boar was hunted in the ''Calydonian Hunt'' by dozens of other mythological heroes, including some of the Argonauts and the huntress Atalanta.
In Celtic mythology the boar was sacred to the goddess Arduinna[10][11], and boar hunting features in several stories of Celtic and Irish mythology. One such story is that of how Fionn mac Cumhaill ("Finn McCool") lured his rival Diarmuid Ua Duibhne to his death - gored by a wild boar.
The Norse gods Freyr and Freyja both had boars. Freyr’s boar was named Gullinbursti ("Golden Mane"), who was manufactured by the Sons of Ivaldi as a gift to Freyr. The bristles in Gullinbursti’s mane glowed in the dark to illuminate the way for his owner. Freya rode the boar Hildesvini (Battle Swine) when she was not using her cat-drawn chariot. According to the poem Hyndluljóð, Freyja concealed the identity of her protégé Óttar by turning him into a boar. In Norse mythology, the boar was generally associated with fertility as well as a protective talisman in war, due to the animal's sometimes fierce nature.
In Persia (Iran) during Sassanid Empire, boars were respected as fierce and brave creatures and the adjective "Boraz (Goraz)" meaning Boar was sometimes added to a person's name to show his bravery and courage. The famous Sassanid spahbod, Shahrbaraz, who conquered Egypt and the Levant, had his name derived ''Shar + Baraz'' meaning "Boar of the Kingdom"
Three boars are seen on the Grimsby coat of arms.
In Hindu mythology, the third avatar of the Lord Vishnu was Varaha, a boar.
In Chinese horoscope the boar (sometimes also translated as ''pig''), is one of the twelve animals of the zodiac, based on the legends about its creation, either involving Buddha or the Jade Emperor.
Heraldry and other symbolic use
The boar and a boar's head are common charges in heraldry. A complete beast may represent what are seen as the positive qualities of the boar, namely courage and fierceness in battle; a boar's head may represent hospitality (from the custom of serving the boar's head in feasts), or it may symbolise that the bearer of the arms is a noted hunter.
Scottish Highland Clan Campbell uses the boar on its badge to symbolize courage and fierceness. The chiefs of clans Gordon, Nesbitt and Urquhart similarly uses three boars' heads on their coat of arms. The wild boar was a symbol of Richard III of England.[12]
However boar charges also lend themselves very well to canting (heraldic punning). The German towns of Eberbach and Ebersbach an der Fils, both in Baden-Württemberg, and Ebersbach, Saxony use civic arms that demonstrates this. Each depicts a boar - ''Eber'' in German (and in two cases a wavy fess or bars meant to represent a brook - ''Bach'' in German).
In Belgium, the wild boar is the symbolic animal of the Ardennes forests in the south of the country, and is the mascot of one of the Belgian Army's premier infantry regiments, the Chasseurs Ardennais, the soldiers of which wear a boar's head pin on their beret.
Hunting
Sport with Dogs.–"How the Wild Boar is hunted by means of Dogs." Facsimile of a miniature in the manuscript of the ''Livre du Roy Modus'' (14th century). Depicts mounted hunters and catch dogs.Guns such as a 22 250 to a 308 are used.
Roman relief, c. 3rd century of hunting wild boar with a bay dog.
A full sized boar is a large strong animal armed with sharp tusks which defends itself strongly; so hunting has often been a test of bravery.
Historically, boar hunting was done by groups of spearmen using a specialized boar spear. The boar spear was fitted with a cross guard to stop the enraged animal driving its pierced body further down the shaft in order to attack its killer before dying. Specialized boar swords were also used in boar hunting, and also large hunting dogs, which would usually be equipped with heavy leather armour. See also medieval hunting.
In Persia aristocratic hunters used elephants to chase the boars and encircle them in marshland. The hunter would then use a bow to shoot the boars from a boat. Elephants carried the bodies to the hunting camp. The rock reliefs of these scenes have remained largely intact in Taq-e Bostan.
Skull of a wild hog
In India, hunting from horseback, called pigsticking, was popular among the Maharajas, and with British officers during Victorian and Edwardian times.[13] Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement wrote a book on the subject.[14]
Currently wild boars are hunted both for their meat and to mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. It has been said that one "only gets one shot" at a charging boar, because its hide is quite thick, its bones are quite dense, and anything less than a "kill shot" will allow the boar to continue its charge, which it will: hunters have reported being butted up into trees by boars that have already taken a glancing shot.
Generally dogs are used, sometimes now wearing Kevlar vests, to track and subdue their quarry. These dogs are loosely divided into two categories, bay dogs, and catch dogs.
Bay dogs harass and harry the boar, keeping it cornered in one place, while intensely vocalizing. This behavior is known as "baying" or keeping the boar "at bay". The bay dogs vocalizing alerts the hunter(s) to the bay, and the dogs maintain a slight distance from the boar allowing the hunter(s), once caught up, to dispatch the boar with a well placed rifle shot. Bay dogs are typically Cur dogs such as the Leopard Cur, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Blackmouth Cur, Catahoula) and trailing scent hounds such as the Walker Hound, Foxhound, Plott Hound).
Catch dogs physically take hold of the boar, typically seizing the base of the boar's ear. Once the catch dogs have physical control of the boar, they will hold it down by the head indefinitely until the hunter arrives. The hunter then comes in from behind the boar, and dispatches the boar with a knife or spear. Catch dogs are typically "Bully" breeds such as the Bulldog, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull Terrier) and other molossers such as the Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso and smaller Mastiff crosses).
In several countries such hunting is a very popular recreation.
It is known as "pig hunting" in Australia and New Zealand[15] In these two countries the "baying" of the dogs is colloquially referred to as "bailing".[16] Popular "pig dogs" in Australia include Staghounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhound crosses, various Terriers, and purpose bred crosses.
It is known as "hog hunting" in the South of the United States.[17] Popular "hog dogs" in the U.S. include Blackmouth Curs, Catahoulas, Pit Bulls, Walker Hounds, and purpose bred crosses.
The Weiser Weight and Tusk Trophy Wild Boar Record Book records hunting records by the "Weiser Weight & Tusk" scoring system or "WWT."[18] The scoring system works focuses on body weight and tusk size.
Commercial use
Wild boar skeleton
Wild boar
The hair of the boar was often used for the production of the toothbrush until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s.[19]
The hair for the bristles usually came from the neck area of the boar. While such brushes were popular because the bristles were soft, this was not the best material for oral hygiene as the hairs were slow to dry and usually retained bacteria. Boar hair is also used in the manufacture of the boar bristle hairbrush. Boar bristles continue to be used in the manufacture of premium dart boards for use with steel-tipped darts: a large quantity of bristles are aligned parallel to each other and compressed in a circular band of steel to form the board.
Boars are sometimes farmed for their meat. Boar meat is eaten as food in several countries. Wild boar meat consumption has been linked to transmission of Hepatitis E.[20]
See also
★ List of pigs over 1000 pounds
References
1. Current Status and Potential Impact of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in the English Countryside: A Risk Assessment. Report to Conservation Management Division C, MAFF. M.J. Goulding B.Sc. M.Sc.
2.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
3.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
4.
★ V. G. Heptner and A. A. Sludskii: ''Mammals of the Sowjetunion Vol. II, Part 2 CARNIVORA (Hyaenas and Cats)''. Leiden, New York, 1989 ISBN 900408876 8
5. , , Tony, Horwitz, Picador, ,
6. Taxonomy Browser: Sus Scrofa
7. DNA tests to reveal if possible record-size boar is a pig in a poke Shaila Dewan
8. The Mystery of Hogzilla Solved
9. Shiver Me Piglets! Catherine Scullion
10. Celtic Encyclopaedia
11. les-ardennes.net
12. boar
13. www.tribuneindia.com
14. pinetreeweb.com
15. Hunting books www.lifesaboar.co.nz
16. ozemail.com.au
17. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
18.
Official scoring system www.brutalboarcreations.com
19. Dental Encyclopedia
20. Hepatitis E Virus Transmission from Wild Boar Meat, Li T-C, Chijiwa K, Sera N, Ishibashi T, Etoh Y, Shinohara Y, et al., , , Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet], 2005
External links
★ "Hunt goes on to find missing boar" (from BBC News)
★ Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) photos
★ Scoring system, official rules and category links
★ British Wild Boar
★ BBC News Release
★ BBC News Release
★ Wild Boar UK
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