Well as you will probably have read already, I have had a reply to my reply in the Review this week, regarding the wild boar!
Mrs. Partridge has asked the question whether I could hold my nerve and my camera steady with a couple of wild boar charging me.
Firstly, I would just like to say that I am posting this here as I believe a tit for tat battle through the newspaper will not get anyone anywhere, where the boar are concerned, I have had my say and she has had hers.
If the wild boar are seen so often and sooooooooo dangerous, why are they not attacking? It amazes me that people are still willing to condemn a species on the assumption that they MAY attack, when all the boar are doing is trotting or running up to check things out.
I have never hidden from the fact that they will kill a dog if they have young or if the dog becomes aggressive, but if you are reading this then you have access to the net... DO A SEARCH and look up unprovoked wild boar attacks on humans IN THE WORLD! Then condemn them, all they are doing is checking things out as they have very poor eyesight and can only distinguish blue from the three primary colours.
Do people not read or research anything these days?
It's like me saying Umm! There's a dog off a lead in the wood, it may bite me! Better do something to stop this or our children will get hurt.
COME ON, it's a forest with wild animals in it. There are fallow stags, which have the potential to kill a fully grown man during the rut and there are snakes, which can kill children and the elderly, but we don't run around screaming every time we see one, do we.
It's a joke and it anoys me when people make assumptions about our wildlife!
Mrs Partridge, I have been face to face with the biggest boar I have seen in my life and I have a witness who was with me at the time. I have had one run at me and the video is on HERE. I have photographed them in groups (sounders), on their own and with their little ones. I even photograph snakes UP CLOSE, so the answer to your questions is yes, I can hold my nerve, I can take a steady shot and I am never intimidated by the boar. I am wary of them and respect them as they are wild animals, but they are not monsters like they have been portrayed to be.
I only hope that you and many like you see them in a different light before it is too late. I also hope to be as lucky as you and see them on a more regular basis, this way I can get more video footage, which will show their behaviour and help to educate people on their behaviour, so they will see that they are not after our blood!
Until the next time....
Rob
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Hi Rob,
ReplyDeleteNot a lot you can do with people like that I’m afraid. Looking at the main article on page 4 I just see a poser after 5 seconds of fame. What does annoy me is that the FC take these idiots seriously, instead of educating them, they sympathise with them. In my opinion, people with so little understanding of wildlife shouldn't enter areas like the forest unattended, who knows what damage their ignorance causes! I guess "Gods work" should always be fluffy pretty things that are safe for humans. Unfortunately, these kind of articles are taken more seriously than truthful ones, where is it all going to end?
Well done for standing up for what is truthful and right again, If only there were more like you around!
Cheers,
Lewis.
Thanks Lewis, intelligent words as always.
ReplyDeleteRob
Rob, Lewis and all,
ReplyDeleteConsider that it is the newspapers that are to blame for the mini-hysteria that is. Ignorant and frightened public, yes; but why are they? You may try to contact Alistair Frazer:
10 Orchard Farm Close,
Sedbury,
Chepstow,
Monmouthshire
NP16 7BG
Alastair.Fraser@fdean.gov.uk
One of the few councillors promoting education of the boar and he wants us to keep pushing our views at the press. The Citizen, allegedly, has an editor who sympathises with the boar, but all she gets are stories like this one.
But maybe local rags are a waste of time anyway. Ignorance is rife and too many people are incapable of independent thought! Try enlightening people about something serious like the scam that is Swine Flu and Tamiflu. No-one wants to believe me about this, so heck, the piggies are a nothing thought to most people!
Just keep taking the photos, get them published along with some truthful and happy words. DO NOT pander to political correctness or fence sitting. State things as they are. be firm. No caveats. Myself and others like Brian Davis & Chris grady have touched the boar. I personally have been with a mother and her 6 newborn piglets at her nest without any incident or aggression - and my 2 dogs looked on as well! Absolutely true. But done with respect and understanding of the boar. I talked to this mother softly, and to the boar in general. I show no signs of fear, and they do somehow know you're not a threat.
Let people know of your encounters. Tell them of yours and mine and others websites. Let the FC know your views when you meet them as well. I'm sure you do anyway, but know youre not the only one.
keep the faith,
Dave Slater
Thanks David,
ReplyDeleteI will wait for the right moment and have a go at the Citizen. Maybe myself, my nephew Paul, you, Lewis, Brian, Chris and Andy Carey could all get together with the editor from the Citizen and get a large article published?
I think the most important thing is to get the public on side, as soon as we can do this, we have a better chance of silencing the scaremongers and blood thirsty hypocrites?
You have some fantastic pics by the way Dave, remarkable.
Look forward to seeing more.
Rob
i totally agree with your self and dave we have all seen them up close and taken pictures off them i have a modest camera and got quiet close and they always come and look then either run or wander off once they see that your ok with them. there are alot of f***ing t**ts out there want to spoil peoples enjoyment of nature , i agree also that dave has some great pics whish i could get some as good ,regards brian pendrey
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input Brian, what it needs is more photographs and even better more video to show the public how to act around them and more importantly how the boar act around humans.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people put the boar in the same class as a dog and when a boar trots up checking them out, they get scared thinking it is going to hurt them.
I have been at Woorgreen lake with my two daughters feeding the geese and ducks and a large dog has come running and barking down the path and my two girls stood behind me frightened. When the owners came into sight the guy said "don't mind him, he won't hurt ya", I said "how the hell were we supposed to know that?"
I would trust a boar more than I would trust a dog off it's lead in the forest!
Just a quick note, the Mrs.Partridge story is also in The Forester this week, thankfully only a small section on page 14 though! The amazing thing about it though is how embellished an already ridiculous story can get, it reads:
ReplyDelete"Boar in attack"
"Pauline Partridge from Cinderford was forced to flee her favourite walking spot in terror after being chased by two wild boar while out with her two dogs in Abbotswood. She had to fend the boar off with a stick."
I guess we should be thankful its such a small section!
Lewis.