The wild boar

The wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) is a close relative and the ancestor of the domesticated pig, being an even-toed ungulate.

The adult male can be distinguished from the female – when viewed from the side – by the shape of its snout. While the female's snout is long and straight, the male's appears shorter. Wild boars are highly adaptable. They can be found in cities, meadows, and preferably in deciduous or coniferous forests.

Interesting facts about wild boars:

• The wild boar is between 130 and 180 cm long and its shoulder height is about 55 to 100 cm.
• In winter the coat is dark grey to brownish-black with bristly guard hairs, and in summer it is wool-free with light-colored and soft hair tips.
• Wild boars weigh approximately 50–150 kg.
• Wild boars have tails that are 15–40 cm long.
• The wild boar has a powerful set of teeth, with 44 teeth. The tusks on its lower lip are one of its most distinctive features. The tusks of a boar are longer and curved. Unlike sows, boars have additional tusks on their upper lip, which they use to sharpen the lower ones. Boars use their tusks during the mating season for dominance fights.
• Wild boars have a long, rubbery snout that is used for digging up roots and tubers.
• Wild boars are omnivores. Their rooting in the soil while searching for food leads to an increase in biodiversity and the germination rate of plants.
• Wild boars live together in family groups, harems, or groups of yearlings. Males, in particular, tend to be solitary. A sounder with a lead sow consists of 6–30 animals.
• The natural enemies of the wild boar are wolves, brown bears, lynxes, foxes, and wildcats. Birds of prey also occasionally hunt young animals.
• As a result of intensive hunting by humans, wild boars are now mostly shy and nocturnal. Males during the mating season and females with piglets can occasionally become aggressive towards humans, especially if they are accompanied by dogs. During the day, wild boars sleep for up to 12 hours in nests made of leaves.
• Wild boars like to travel in a wide variety of habitats.
• Mating season is from November to January.
• After a gestation period of 115 days, a sow gives birth to four to six piglets between March and May.
• Young animals are born in nests made of leaves. The piglets are born with their eyes open and covered in hair (bristle). The mother cares for them.
• Piglets have a light yellowish-brown coat with yellowish stripes that serve as camouflage. The stripes disappear from the fourth month onwards. After a year, they look like adults.
• After seven months, the young are no longer dependent on their mother. However, a bond with the mother can last up to 18 months. Mortality among the young is very high due to cold snaps, periods of wet weather, and predators.
• In the wild, wild boars live up to 10 years. In captivity, they can live up to 21 years.
• In Switzerland, around 6,000 wild boars are currently shot each year. If left undisturbed, wild boars live in stable communities where, as a rule, only the dominant sow reproduces. Pheromones – chemical signals that transmit information between members of the same species – are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. Numerous studies have shown that, in addition to pheromones, the social hierarchy also influences the regulation of reproduction in domestic pigs. If hunting disrupts this delicate social structure, it can lead to an explosive increase in the population.

What measures are being taken by wildlife conservationists to protect wild boars?

We are committed to preserving and connecting populations and their habitats. Natural corridors enable genetic exchange between individual populations. Protecting not only predators but also their prey is an essential part of our work. We achieve this by defending wildlife from unnecessary hunting and poaching wherever possible.

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