Wild Boar

Sus scrofa

Wild boar, Sus scrofa, is the wild Eurasian pig and the ancestor of domestic swine. Native forms occur across much of Europe and Asia, with related populations in parts of North Africa, and introduced or feral pigs now live on several other continents. Adults have a wedge-shaped body, high shoulders, a bristly coat, a long rooting snout, and tusks that are most developed in males. Piglets are striped for camouflage, while females and young usually travel in sounders and mature males often range alone.

People manage wild boar in very different ways depending on where they occur. In native ranges they may be valued as game animals and a source of meat, while introduced populations can damage crops, wetlands, and native wildlife through rooting and predation. Control programs use hunting, trapping, exclusion fencing, and disease surveillance, especially where domestic pigs could be exposed to swine pathogens. Game farms, sanctuaries, and private keepers need reinforced fencing, secure gates, experienced handling, and clear separation from domestic swine because escape and hybridization create long-term problems.