Boar war breaks out in the Highlands

WILD boar are rampaging through the Highlands and threatening farmers’ crops, it is being claimed.The free-roaming pigs are breeding on the outskirts of Inverness and are being accused of causing havoc to fertile land in the Inverness-shire area.

WILD boar are rampaging through the Highlands and threatening farmers’ crops, it is being claimed.

The free-roaming pigs are breeding on the outskirts of Inverness and are being accused of causing havoc to fertile land in the Inverness-shire area.

Scottish Natural Heritage issued an appeal yesterday urging members of the public to contact them about sightings in a bid to build up a picture of how serious the problem is in the region.

Iain Hope, the agency’s wildlife management officer, believes wild boars have escaped from farms and have bred with domestic pigs, causing a surge in hybrid populations.

He said: “We are keen to find out how many of these pigs are living in the wilds.

“Some farmers have had their fields rummaged up by these creatures searching for food, which is causing some concern.

“They are causing damage to farmland and forests. It can be quite devastating.

“Compared to England, where there are thousands of pigs free-living, Scotland still has a relatively small number, but we need to know how many and what impact they are making.”

Believed to be a mix of wild boar and domestic pig that escaped from a farm, the animals have been spotted in the Strathnairn, Cawdor and Nairn areas near Inverness.

Local councillor Roddy Balfour said “If planted potatoes are being torn out it is going to create havoc in the community. Particularly at this time of the year when you are making a late start to the season and everything is now going well.”

Mr Balfour said it was unlikely the pigs would be a threat to people’s safety, but added that people might feel uncomfortable being close to them.

He said: “People are not going to enjoy their barbecues when there is a boar circling the garden fence.”

He has called on environmental authorities to take action before the situation gets out of hand.

Mr Hope said the creatures are normally secretive and nocturnal, tending to set up home in woodland and only venturing out to forage for food. The sightings in Cawdor are believed to involve wild pigs that are a cross between the wild boar and a special type of the domestic Tamworth pigs.

The breeds are reared to meet an increasing demand for so-called “Iron-Age” hog roast, but many of the animals are believed to have escaped.

BOAR-ING FACTS

WILD boar became extinct in the UK through hunting and any currently at large are escaped pigs or their descendents.

The boar is native to most of eastern Europe and northern Africa, as well as southern Asia.

Boars have large heads and the males have tusks. They have a distinctive snout with a disk-shaped nose. They have short necks, prominent ears, small eyes and dark bristles.

The tusks serve as both weapons and tools, used for burrowing into the ground looking for food.

They weigh on average around 180kg and stand almost a metre high. Boars are omnivores, eating mainly roots, plants, nuts and insects.

There are a total of 13 species of boar and their predators include tigers, hyenas and lions.