Wild Boar Population Growing Every Year in Europe
Posted on August 14, 2015
The wild boar population has been growing every year in Europe according to researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. The boars are causing more and more problems for farmers because they raid fields and eat crops. They can also cause road accidents.
Study author Sebastian Vetter says in a statement, "It is not so easy to determine the number of wild boars in Europe. Therefore we analysed data on hunting bags and road accidents involving wild boar. Doing this we were able to depict the growth of the wild boar population."
The U.S. also has a problem with a swelling wild pig population. Scientific American reported in a story last year that "disease-carrying, crop-devouring swine have spread to 39 states." The article says the U.S. is home to five million wild pigs.
The Vienna researchers found there are more wild boars in Eruope after mild winters. They analyzed data available for up to 150 years in some regions and found a clear trend.
Vetter says, "There is a sharp increase in the number of wild boars after mild winters. As mild winters are becoming more frequent, also wild boar populations are growing exponentially."
The wild boars like to feed on beechnuts and acorns. Mast years where there is lots of fruits on these types of trees have been frequent since the 1980s. These gives the boars plenty of fuel. The boar population can even grow if a harsh winter follows a mast year. Wild boars produce a large number of offspring as seen in the above photograph. This also leads to strong wild boar population growth.
A research paper on the wild boar growth can be found here in the journal PLoS One.