Alpacas: A remedy against wild boar?

Wild boar often live as if in the land of plenty. An abundant food supply allows them to multiply rapidly and encroach into populated areas. What happens when they encounter alpacas there?

Melanie Weigl from the Heidelberg Alpaka Farm Hirtenaue snuggles up to Sam's soft fleece. He tolerates the affection and calmly continues digesting his midday portion of grass. The snow-white alpaca is one of Weigl's “boys” on the farm.

Alpacas drive away wild boar

The two-and-a-half-year-old stallion is a true “teenager.” Weigl herself is the undisputed boss of the herd. The 35-year-old has become known beyond the region because her alpacas have driven away the wild boar that had been marauding through the area for years. “The alpacas are very helpful in that regard – they keep the wild boar at a distance.”

A sounder of 30, which had been plaguing the orchards at Hirtenaue, sending local residents into a panic and even triggering police operations, retreated back into the forest thanks to the exotic animals. “The wildlife trail ran directly through my property and the neighbouring plots – they gave birth to their piglets here and died here,” says Weigl. Until a year ago, the overgrown pastures with their abundant fallen fruit were a paradise for the pigs – until Sam & Co. took over the area.

The wild boar seem to be genuinely intimidated by the mere presence of these 1.5-metre-tall animals. Their owner explains that her alpacas, ambling along at a leisurely pace, are completely peaceful. “They would never kick or bite — lucky the pigs don’t know that.” She uses these endearing, calming animals therapeutically and offers alpaca treks in the surrounding area, including in winter. The animals are ideally suited for this — relatives of camels, llamas, and vicúñas, originally from the Andes. Weigl processes the silky fleece of her charges on a spinning wheel.

Wild boar spreading rapidly

Conflicts between humans and wild boar are not only an issue in the Hirtenaue. Across Germany, wild boar have become a plague as a result of climate change. Road accidents also bring humans and animals into unwanted close contact, often with fatal consequences. In 2018/19, approximately 24’500 wild boar were killed in collisions with cars, according to figures from the German Hunting Association. Wildlife on the road was the cause of 2’400 (2018) traffic accidents in which people were injured.Wildlife on the road was the cause. The hunting association sees climate change as the driving force behind the rapid proliferation of wild boar. Research shows why hobby hunting fails as a population control measure.

Can wild boar be kept in check by alpacas? Weigl, for one, is convinced that her alpacas have put the wild boar in their place — and that peace has finally returned to the Hirtenaue with them.