Boar problems

[Dennis]

The butterfly expert showed the March SWOG meeting a 1993 photo of Mill Wood, Peasmarsh after everything bar standards was felled. There was a carpet of blue bells as far as the eye could see. In recent days it is very apparent that the wild boar which roam our wood at night are digging up the bluebell bulbs for food.

How do we stop this? Local people treasure that memory of that blue carpet. Now the pigs are eating it. A cull seems impossible. I\'ve heard that those licensed to shoot have already filled their freezers.

[Colin]

Hi Dennis,

Thanks for starting such an interesting thread.

I am pro boar. Boar are not yet widespread across the UK but exist in fairly isolated pockets and I am sure that many reading this thread will wish that they had our problems and a few of our boar. Personaly I think that I am very lucky to have the boar in my wood.

I am not automatically against the idea of boar management or controlling numbers. I have seen first hand the damage they can do in just one night. I would like to hear other peoples views and experiences.

I had my first boar encounter just a few weeks ago and I thought it was awesome.

All the best

Colin

[Dennis]

Turns out that the badgers are eating the bluebell bulbs, not the boar. And I\'m told that badgers are doing just the same in Herts and Cheshire.

[Colin]

Hi Dennis

The Boar do eat them, as do the squirrels and badgers, it doesn\'t really matter, there are a lot of bluebells. In amenity woodland the greatest value lies in the diversity of wildlife. You are very lucky to have wild boar on your land. Colin