Feral Pigs Cause Concern in Scottish Highlands After Release

Around twenty feral pigs appeared. They were spotted in the Scottish Highlands. Someone likely released them illegally. The pigs live near Kingussie. This is within Cairngorms National Park.

Park staff are trying to trap the boar. They want all the facts about the pigs. Officials think it was an illegal release. The Park Authority does not like illegal releases. They condemn it strongly.

Farmers are also worried about the pigs. They think the pigs could spread diseases. The diseases threaten animals and people. Bovine TB and foot-and-mouth are possible. Leptospirosis is another risk.

These diseases harm Scottish farms a lot. Wild boar once lived in Scotland. They died out in the 1200s. People hunted them too much and lost their habitat. Boar sometimes return after escapes or releases.

The pigs could cause problems. They might damage fields and fences. Pigs are not usually aggressive. They can be dangerous at times. Farmers are deeply concerned. They condemn unlawful pig releases.

This follows the lynx release. Four lynx were released illegally last month. It happened in the same national park. Two lynx got caught on January 9th. Another pair got spotted and captured. That was just two days later. One of them died while getting care. The three lynx still alive went to Edinburgh Zoo. Staff quarantined the wildcats there.