Here are some wild boar (sus scrofa) taken in the Forest of Dean in 2008. Not a great photo, but any pic of wild boar is keeper.
There was a big female , but she kept herself hidden and it wasn't long before she moved the rest of the sounder (group) on.
I tracked them for around a mile before they decided that they had enough of me and moved out of the area.
Notice the big scar on the male in the bottom pic? There are quite a few critics that say the wild boar are unhealthy and are diseased! If this boar was unhealthy and diseased it would not have recovered from a wound like this, probably inflicted in a domestic fight. Male boar do not breed until they are 4 years old so it is unlikely it was caused through territorial fighting.
As soon as males reaches sexual maturity the females drive them out of the sounder, the males then live a life alone, only returning to sounders to breed.
I have seen quite a few in my time, the largest sounder contained between 25 - 30 adults, this was at night near Speech House. This may sound exaggerated, but I can assure you it isn't and I have a witness who was with me that night, who also couldn't believe his eyes.
Check out my link to an article I wrote for the BBC about the wild boar at the very bottom of this page.
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That's great. I can't seem to get them at all, everyone I know has seen them, but not me. I love looking at them from your photographs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bob,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about that hawfinch, but I know I will see one eventually (he says with his fingers crossed), the same as you and the boar, you will see them mate.