[BBC] Wild Boar return to Britain's Forests 2008.03.20

[MrWiLDAPEMAN]

Get some wolves and bears in the uk, they will control the deer and boar population and make britain's wildlife more interesting

[Ukabumba]

white people.....

[BH206L3]

In pre 1945 Great Britain, they would just go hunting . You shoot them, and then you roast them and you then eat. Not rocket science. Common Sense left there a long time ago. Not surprising John Rigby and Sons left for The States some time ago.

[Silkie341]

We don't really like wild animals in England. Scotland is full of feral savage creatures and some wild life outside of the cities as well.

[TheRockomb]

@Silkie341

what?

[Kunowalos]

But they're so pwetty! :D

[cambriangirl1]

This makes me so happy! Wild boar are awesome! Bring it on :)

[peteacher52]

Just a point; when wild boar roamed freely throughout Britain, the human population was very much lower, and areas of forest very much broader than today. As seen in many other countries, wild and feral pigs breed prolifically and can get out of control if decisive measures are not taken. A native animal doesn't necessarily mean a desirable animal, and these things can become brazenly and dangerously aggressive, even in broad daylight, as they become increasingly accustomed to men.

[shadowkitty56]

@peteacher52 Sorry Charlie, but it doesn't quite work that way. In the U.S., there is a sizeable population of razorbacks (hybrids between escaped domestic pigs and wild boar, inheriting the size of the former but the instincts of the latter. This is a beast that was never native to the U.S. and does sizeable damage to the forests and swamps and mountains it inhabits because the plants aren't adapted to the rooting behavior of pigs. The seeds of trees can't germinate effectively.

[shadowkitty56]

@peteacher52 Though America does have predators that can eat the pigs (you never see a skinny black bear running around the mountains) it also suffers from the damage they do to the ecosystem. The only known response that keeps the numbers from going crazy is to hunt the beasts, a modern version of what went down in Britain in the Middle Ages-tracking them down with hounds, cornering them into an area where they can't escape, CONT

[shadowkitty56]

@peteacher52 sending an American bulldog or pitbull to hold them, shooting them, and then taking home the prize to butcher and eat. (Down in the South, sometimes a Christmas ham can help the environment after all.)

American hunters kill the pigs because if they didn't it would mean a beast destroying the environment. That is the difference. Britain needs to realize that this animal IS a part of the landscape that has been lost for too long, and

[shadowkitty56]

@peteacher52 its return is something to be celebrated, not mourned: they are a known seed disperser and overturning the soil makes it more fertile. That being said, Britain is also going to have to invest in managing it as its population grows: hazing a boar with rubber bullets and dogs (and even allowing for hunting) might be a boon as boars that are scared of hunters are also scared of wandering into an apple orchard...where the smell reeks of humans. It shall also have to reintroduce

[shadowkitty56]

@peteacher52 predators like the lynx: the cat isn't big enough to take down adults, but it will snatch juveniles easily. Reintroducing predators probably won't sit well with the highborn nitwits that see hunting as their birthright and exclusive privilege, but the UK is sworn to EU treaties that bind it to reintroducing native species...

Time to put your money where your mouth is, peteacher!

[hstadam94]

Well there a former Native Animal to this Country so they have a right to be here.

[thunderclapharry]

I wonder if they will start living in towns and cities like foxes do ?

I hope so , that will be Kool

[KKJK71]

fucking brits its there forests

[boselecta1]

God what next, lets reintroduce tigers or foxes! unbelievable what next!...

[MatGTAM]

@boselecta1 your a fucking idiot. Tigers are not were not and never will be native to the UK and whats so bad about foxes? Foxes are harmless

[stepheng1483]

It's good to see this noble animal back living wild in Britain.

[loveEUROPEhateEU]

This boar was shot and no one was hurt... What about the boar?

[Abominatrix650]

BRITISH WILDLIFE RULES!!!!! And there are big cat in Britain, they can try to wipe em out (keep the population low)

[ZEDROGANA]

panther over Somerset I have seen one over by the Mendips they have basicly wipe out the dear and boar around there

[Abominatrix650]

YOU have seen British Big Cats? Where do u live?

[BillyWizzY2K]

yeah i've seen one as well, there's quite few sightings around this area and a lot of sheep just mysteriously disappear

[jnoir87]

@Abominatrix650 I've seen big cats near where I live in Devon, seen a lynx at least 2 or three times, and I saw what I'm about 80% sure was a puma too. Kinda scary, especially when walking in the lanes at night! :)

[Abominatrix650]

@jnoir87 Listen, I live in Cranford so how far away is Devon?

[edmundm2002]

Why not also reintroduce wolves, bears, and Lynx? The Europeans are already doing that. I guess some Brits are scared of anything bigger than a doormouse?

[Abominatrix650]

I hope we get some kind of half decent predators around here, not just massive eagles, I'm talkin mammalian hunters. Basically I agree with wat ur sayin - wolves getting reintroduced into Scotland, bears I hope they return and lynxes they probably won't kill us right?

[MatGTAM]

@Abominatrix650 Lynx and giant eagles can't kill adult boars. only bears and especially large wolf packs(Adult male boars are dangerous game)

[BillyWizzY2K]

wolves and lynx maybe but fuck having bears wondering around my garden haha

[shadowkitty56]

Well said. It also begs a bit of an interesting question: boars could one day become the food foundation on which to, someday, reintroduce predatory animals to the UK (think lynx.) The cull the guy mentions, therefore, would be unnecessary.

[Alexsax123]

I totally disagree; the wild boar must be controlled. They will explosively pro-create and as a result our countryside and eventually cities (the urban fox), will become infested with them. It is all to easy to be romantic and have this idealistic attitude that somehow they will be of a benefit, the fact is that they no longer have any natural predators and the countryside is simply unable to sustain them, conservation in the long term must be taken into account. Plus it will be fun doing it

[QueenOfTheKelpies]

We are the predators. Boar should be carefully hunted.

[shotgunwagonbum]

Yes that is true but we should hunt them because they are an excellent game to hunt and a hell of alot of fun to hunt because they desperatley try to escape and once cornered try to fight, so the hunting of these animals is great

[nbelt1919]

Wild boar should stay in Britain, they were a native species to britain and were inhabiting the country long before man started destroying the forests so really wild boar have more of a right to stay in wild parts of britain more than we do.

[mattd28]

totally agree!

[hebrideanwolfdogs]

yeah, they were here before we were... bring them up to scotland, we actually like wildlife up here.

[Abominatrix650]

@hebrideanwolfdogs Events this year have been making me wish sometimes I wish I was Scottish. Like David Tennant, Karen Gillan, and ElectricFaerieDust :)