Video shows wild boar in Dartmoor, possibly a family group. Concerns rise about impact, benefits to ecosystem.
People tried to bring them back in the 1700s, but hunting stopped it from working. The population just could not grow. Then, someone imported them as farm animals. A bunch escaped in the eighties and nineties, and these escapees have reproduced.
Kent has the most wild boar right now. There are about a thousand living there. The Forest of Dean and Dorset also have some. This video showed six boar together. A local education group shared it.
The group’s founder talked about the sighting. He said it happened in Dartmoor National Park. There was a momma boar with three babies. Then, two more adults joined them later. They’re likely making babies and settling in.
Wild boar don’t have predators here. Their numbers could grow fast, and they can wreck crops and damage habitats. They could also cause problems. However, some say they help the ecosystem. They dig around and improve biodiversity.
The person who filmed them stayed anonymous. They didn’t share exactly where they saw them. The location is secret to protect wild boar. The founder did worry about people; the boar are used to people, possibly too used to them.
Male boar have really big tusks. They can really hurt people badly; this could happen if you bother them. Poachers might also try to hunt them. Walking groups have spotted boar for years now. This new video is actually rare footage to see.
Back in 2007, people saw some boar near some towns. About a dozen animals were there. Dogs got threatened sometimes. One old lady fought them off to protect her pet. Dartmoor’s boar number is unknown right now. Boar like forests with mixed trees a lot. They can live in different spots. This includes wetlands and coastal areas.