Friday 28th June 2019
BBC News Online is reporting –
A farmer is calling for wild boar to be culled after spotting them in woods on the Longleat estate in Wiltshire. He first saw up to five of the animals huddled together in December at Cannimore Woods near the Longleat safari park. Farmer Michael Elce said: “They could quite easily kill a little dog. They are too near habitation.”
The Longleat estate said it was aware of boars locally but did not believe current numbers posed a risk. A spokesman added wardens were monitoring the situation to ensure there was no risk to users of the estate.
Mr Elce said boar could be dangerous, adding: “They could quite easily take somebody’s finger off. They’re worse when they’ve got piglets, the sows will charge at anything when they’ve got piglets.” Mr Elce said a cull was needed before numbers grew too high. “Where I see them, it’s only just across the A36 and they’ll be in Warminster,” he added.
Wildlife campaigner Matt Mellen said as the animals were shy, the risk of scavenging in Warminster was highly unlikely. He opposed any idea of a cull, saying wild boar were positive for ecology. “They root around and dig up tubers and open up forests so you get more butterflies and other tree species – they’re a great addition to the ecology of a forest or woodland,” he added.
Defra says it has no current plans for culls in Wiltshire and the responsibility of culling was with the landowner.
