View Full Version : Wild Boar on the Borders
just seen this on the BBC news site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4051477.stm
in brief: it describes a wild boar chasing a horserider, bear Monmouth, and the reaction of the peoples involved.
thats what i like to hear :-)
Tantalus
29-11-2004, 15:46
such a shame to see the depth of ignorance amongst the great british public tho
and the bbc in its' reporting
these animals are a treasure and worthy of preservation
instead we read
"Something really needs to be done before someone gets hurt," Ms Edmonds said.
"These wild boar are obviously a menace."
"Wild boar are a danger to human beings and to animals, too," said Mrs Tongue, who farms at Devauden, near Chepstow.
"These animals need to be rounded up and sorted out before it is too late.
Tant
He-he-he :naughty: :naughty:
Let's see the fox hunters try something that fights back !!!
Martin
such a shame to see the depth of ignorance amongst the great british public tho
and the bbc in its' reporting
these animals are a treasure and worthy of preservation
Tant
Totally agree mate. There are, or at least were until the 18th century when the last one was shot IIRC, a part of our natural heritage.
it sounds like a normal "local" news story. Unfortunately, local news journalists seem to have a habit of making stories sound more serious than they are in the hope that national editors will pick up on the story and give them the "scoop" thus helping their journalistic careers progress.
if you remove the embellishment and journalistic licence, the story reads somewhat like this;
"Woman on horse sees pig"
It doesn't have the same ring to it does it? Let the journalists get to it though and all of a sudden it's;
Woman fears for life whilst bloodthirsty boar savages horse, Allegedly.
As you can probably tell from my avatar, I have more time for Wild Boars instead of Mild bores. :nana:
cheers,
Martin
Tantalus
29-11-2004, 19:18
lol @ woman on horse sees pig
the story also says she had dogs with her, betya they weren't on a lead
surprised she hasn't been fined for it actually, disturbing wild game and letting her dogs run loose like that
Tant
Bushmaster
30-11-2004, 03:22
He-he-he :naughty: :naughty:
Let's see the fox hunters try something that fights back !!!
Martin
:super: :super: :naughty: :naughty: :You_Rock_ :biggthump :rolmao: :rolmao:
OHH YEAH BABY!!!
That I wanna see
Geoff
hobbitboy
30-11-2004, 16:12
:o): quality :o):
how savage are boar when unprovoked?? do they need something get them goin?
From what I remember when I had to research them for when doing medieval cookery, they are quite peaceful except when provoked or defending their young. They have poor eyesite but a keen sense of smell and hearing and generally avoid human contact, so you're more likely to just find tracks and signs of feeding than the actual creature. However as the boar are either escapees or 'escapees' they are less wary of than the true wild boar, and so can be more belligerant as boar are not reknowned for their tempers. Even domestic pigs can be VERY aggressive when badly provoked. And when 800lb of pig gets its hooves spinning....
Tantalus
30-11-2004, 16:23
prety scary things mate
they move like greased lightening and are virtually unstoppable
even with a well placed rifle bullet :shock:
on the plus side their eyesight is not that great and they tend to go in straight lines (all that momentum makes for pretty poor cornering)
i suspect the dogs rattled them in this case
generally they are pretty shy creatures, preferring to be left alone
best way to do this is to advertise your presence (they have good hearing and smell) so tapping a stick on a tree gently seems to work
they can be noisy with their shuffling and snuffling in among the leaves so not too hard to spot if they are active
course if they are sleeping it may not work out as well as planned
hope that helps a little
Tant
bambodoggy
30-11-2004, 16:32
Hey Tant... that's very similar to the advice the US Parks and Wildlife guys give out for avoiding bears over there....seems like pretty sound advise to me too!
Was it just me or did anyone else read that article and find themselves giggling over some of the quotes in it? It could have been a "Little Britain" sketch....and the little picture she took....how exactly did she take it if they were charging her and her horse down? Did she flip out her camera phone and upon seeing it the boars stopped to pose for her? ? ? Cetainly it didn't look to be charging in that pic!
I also have to wonder if the horse was that bothered or just freaked at it's owner going so mad because the boars wouldn't stand still for the portrates to be taken! :o): I also loved it that she was worried a less experienced rider wouldn't be able to cope....she managed to control her stead....yer, by staying up on it, out of harms way and then legging it once she'd got her snap!
But the best bit of all was the other rider who won't go into the forest without quadbike out riders.....Fantastic! Do they stop at crossroads, stop alll the boar and let her swish past like royalty? I don't know that many people that can afford to tootle off riding in the woods when they wish let alone anyone who can afford their own bodyguards and outriders too!!!!
Oh and the Local trading standards are making inquiries as to were they came from....so Mr Boar...after your photo shoot, short fitness run....any chance of an interview? Do trading standards speak "Boar"???
If I'd read this article on 1st April I wouldn't have believed it....still not sure I do now! :rolmao:
Yeah, I did find it rather amusing myself. I was struck by the fact that they didn't seem to think anything about the fact that the boars were probably scared by the dogs.
Hmm, hypothetical question...
You're on a horse which starts to get agitated.
Your dogs start to also get agitated.
You realise that the further along the path you go, their nervousness gets worse.
Do you:
A: Use your brain and think 'Something must be spooking the creatures,lets turn back'?
B: Use your brain and think 'Something must be spooking the creatures,lets turn back'?
C: Act like an idiot, endager self, dogs and horse and keep going forward?
Tantalus
30-11-2004, 16:41
to be honest it was the way i was shown to deal with boar in Germany
but it worked :)
also a huge catalogue of funny stories about narrow escapes from wild boar, people spending the night in trees, diving into rivers etc
one of those "not so funny at the time" things i guess
:rolmao:
Tant
Tantalus
30-11-2004, 16:44
lol jakunen , you forgot to add.........
.......and complain to the council about the fact that there are wild animals in the woods
:rolmao:
Tant
bambodoggy
30-11-2004, 16:47
Or...
D) Whip out your camera and organise an imprompt photoshoot. (Read her mind: If I get out of this alive, at least Jerremy Beadle will give me £150 for this pic).
lol jakunen , you forgot to add.........
.......and complain to the council about the fact that there are wild animals in the woods
:rolmao:
TantDamn, your right! How dare they put wild creatures in the woods! Its an utter disgrace!
:wink:
Hmm, hypothetical question...
You're on a horse which starts to get agitated.
Your dogs start to also get agitated.
You realise that the further along the path you go, their nervousness gets worse.
Do you:
A: Use your brain and think 'Something must be spooking the creatures,lets turn back'?
B: Use your brain and think 'Something must be spooking the creatures,lets turn back'?
C: Act like an idiot, endager self, dogs and horse and keep going forward?
Actually, you think the horse has been spooked by the wind moving a hedge again, and press on because you're not scared of moving bushes and you know full well that the horse isn't really either. If it's still agitated and you can't see a reason for it you press on to find out what it worrying it and introduce it to that something so that it knows not to be scared of it. You don't actually get worried until you yourself either see something that worries you, or your horse is behaving very very out-of-character...
The horse I rode delighted himself in being scared by all manner of things from the gutter in the road to a hedge in a breeze, to traffic cones, puddles, bikes (static and moving), and (understandably) combine harvesters. When riding in woodland, half the time he spooked at something I never actually saw what it was. A lot of horses just spook at things because they enjoy doing it, not because they're actually scared of something. It isn't through a lack of discipline, just high spirits. :) I think a lot of the time they're trying to give you an excuse to go for a mad gallop. :D
Throughout the entire time I rode (that would be ten years, and I'm still in touch with the horse-world as my mum can't give 'em up) I never once saw something to be worried about, but every time I rode the horse would spook at many things. I also never heard of anyone who ever saw anything to be worried about.
So basically, if every time your horse spooked at something you turned back, you would probably never ride further than about 500yds. Way to see the countryside!
Sorry. Rant over.
I'll go back to sitting quietly in the corner now.
Justin Time
01-12-2004, 07:04
Good point Emma.
I guess that one of the things that allows us to feel safe in the woods in the UK is the KNOWING that there's nothing scary out there.
Tantalus
01-12-2004, 07:14
Yeah good point emma
Although wild boar do have a particulary strong smell
It is perhaps unlikely that either dogs or horse knew exactly what the smell was
..............Bet they do next time tho
Tant
Emma,
Only ridden a horse once (jousting - don't ask!!!) so wasn't aware of that, but I would have thought that genetic memory would have spooked the horse enough, and probaly the dogs as well into saying "uh-uh, I'm NOT going any closer!". I know that when I used to bread rats, even though they hadn't seen a snake or bird of prey for a large number of generations, the silhuette(sp?) of one sent them into a shivering panic.
Guess different species are affected in different ways.
Jakunen, if you make a sound that is a sort of cross between a hiss and a swish, then rats will immediately seek cover. It's the sound of a plummeting bird of prey. ;) Most rodents will, as will most small birds, and even ducks (haven't tried it on wild ducks though, only our domestic ones). I know the inherited instinct for these things is strong, we've hand-reared chickens, ducks, hamsters and gerbils and all of them display all of the normal instincts you see in their wild counterparts. :)
Anyway, I have (momentarily) felt true fear in a horse, and "agitated" (as used in the article) is most certainly not a word I would use to describe it... something more like "absolutely terrified" and "bolting for dear life" would be closer to it. And when that happened I was the most scared I've ever been whilst riding, because horses are strong animals, and the flight instinct is even more strong, and you just know that you are a completely out of control, that you are an absolutely helpless passenger, and it's a very worrying experience.
So presumably to a horse, a boar is not classed as being as dangerous as a predator. Which is understandable, I've not heard of a pack of hungry boar bringing down a horse... ;)
And whilst I will happily admit that I don't know much about how dogs react to things, I understand that when dogs start barking in woodland, it is usually because there's something like a squirrel or a hedgehog or a badger around. Horses will happily spook at those animals too...
OK, rant is really over this time. ;)
Sorry for it being a rant rather than slightly more polite... but owing to riding on busy roads, you develop a mindset that everyone is a potentially dangerous idiot with absolutely no knowledge of horses, and that is the most sensible mindset to have... (minor example, when I was still in primary school, I was out riding on a quiet woodland road by myself once soon after school and my teacher (recognised the car) zoomed past, barely missing me, spooking my pony... you'd think she'd maybe slow down for a primary-school-sized child riding alone on a pony? We'd been doing road safety in class earlier that day...)
So, yeah, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to have a go. :(
Jousting always looked kind of tricky to me. How did you do? :D
bambodoggy
02-12-2004, 10:14
Still doesn't explain how the woman in the article, being on a spooked horse and chased by a pack of wild boar, had time to stop and take piccys!
As for dogs...it depends on the dog and to put it bluntly how much bottle the dog has got. They will all spark up and bark and play the big man....then some will bottle it and choose the flight instict while others will stand their ground and often charge (the bottlers may try a false charge before then run away)....dogs aren't all that different from people :wink:
The way an animal reacts to danger is also dependant on whether it is a pray animal or a preditor. As a preditor they are far more likely to fight and almost always to the death as they as killers believe anything attacking them is a killer too...hence kill or be killed, where as a prey animal knows it is likely to be killed (but doesn't do any killing itself or have the instict to do so) and so is more likely to run than to stand and fight. Obviously there are exceptions to this and it also depends on the situation but that's a general rule of thumb. for example:
A cornered horse may charge you down and trample you but once it is past you it will keep going and not stop.
A cornered dog/wolf/bear etc will (if I can't run away) fight you to the death as it expects you to do the same with it.
Hope that makes sence...
I couldn't agree more with Emma about ignorant people (usually in cars) wizzing past horses.... I just find it plain rude! I always slow right down whether in a car or on my motorbike but I see an awful lot that don't!
I remember being out in the woods at the back of the Sandhurst Military accadamy when I was a cadet and there's a lot of horse riders over there...we were on an exercise and all camm'ed up and had to be very careful when we saw horses as they mistake us for bushes and seriously freak when they see a bush get up and walk/run off so it's not just animals and motors that freek horses!
Interesting thread. I assume the people who find the issue of boars on the loose in the UK so lighted hearted are not farmers nor live in the countryside effected?
Boars in the wild are not particularly dangerous as such, but if the population gets out of hand, they can cause a huge amount of damage to the land. They will also take lambs or similar and can act as a resevior for quite a few diseases which have very serious implications for pig farmers.
And unless "something is done", the populations will increase too as they have no natural predators over here and the habitat and weather are much less harsh than Central Europe.
If anybody doubts the potential problems they should research the impact feral pigs are having in Australia.
Does this mean I would like to see them wiped out in the UK? Not at all as they are part of our heritage. Right now, it can be open season on them as they officially don't exist as such. IMHO, we should follow Germany's lead and treat it as a game animal and accord it the respect it deserves.
Regards,
Pete
Moonraker
05-12-2004, 00:01
Around here sanglier (wild boar) are common and one of the main prey for the local hunters. In 2 years I have seen only one and heard some more. The one I saw was a good size solitary boar early one morning about 200 metres across a field. The sun shone across the grass and it stood their like a polished brass statue. Stock still for a while, alert and proud then continued grubbing around. Very impressive (it was larger than any pig I have ever seen and I was surprised at the warm ginger tones of his coat) and very touching in some way. Equally one of the best meals I had was the local village hunters lunch during the summer and the 'Civet De Sanglier' is a truly fantastic dish which you should try if ever you get the chance.
I have reservations about hunting myself and concerns about walking in the woods in hunting season. But people have hunted here since time immemorial and there is something that feels right between the balance of animals such as wild boar sharing the land with us. Forming on one side a source of sport and nourishment and also the chance to see such stunning beasts which share the places I/ we go.
It is common for the local farmers to complain that the sanglier are eating all their crops and the hunters are useless; and the hunters who moan that their game is never as prolific as it used to be :roll: Plus ca change!
I agree with Pete E that when one treats an animal with respect it serves both them and us well. I only wish all pigs had the freedom and life of the sanglier, rather than being treated as a 'product' in some food factory, hidden from the scent of the terre and the cool taste of the stream water.....
Interesting thread. I assume the people who find the issue of boars on the loose in the UK so lighted hearted are not farmers nor live in the countryside effected?
Nope I'm not a farmer , but we've had wild boar down here in Sussex for quite some time including escapees from farms that can't keep their own animals contained.
Boars in the wild are not particularly dangerous as such, but if the population gets out of hand, they can cause a huge amount of damage to the land. They will also take lambs or similar and can act as a resevior for quite a few diseases which have very serious implications for pig farmers.
what, taking a few pence of the profit from their sausages?
And unless "something is done", the populations will increase too as they have no natural predators over here and the habitat and weather are much less harsh than Central Europe.
Let me guess what you mean by "something is done", Culling perhaps? The weather is no less harsh here than where the boar can live in europe, especially the more temperate areas of spain across to Greece.
If anybody doubts the potential problems they should research the impact feral pigs are having in Australia.
Could you enlighten us? As a "native" australian (Born in Adelaide) I've never heard about problems with european boar.
Does this mean I would like to see them wiped out in the UK? Not at all as they are part of our heritage. Right now, it can be open season on them as they officially don't exist as such. IMHO, we should follow Germany's lead and treat it as a game animal and accord it the respect it deserves.
Please could you fill in the gaps? how would "You" accord it the respect it deserves as a game animal?
Yadda yadda yadda,
Can you back up any of this with evidence? I've heard all of these points used with reference to other animals including rabbits, badgers, deer, foxes and squirrels. Infact anything that can't be made a profit out of.
shinobi
I did not come here to waste my time arguing animal rights.
While I would like to see wild boar properly established again through out the UK, I am not so nieve to think that they would not cause problems.
If you really don't know the problems that Australia has with feral pigs, not to mention feral cats and foxes, I suggest you spend an hour on google.
Peter
Boars in the wild are not particularly dangerous as such, but if the population gets out of hand, they can cause a huge amount of damage to the land.
a lot like farmers then.. :?:
Let me just remind you folks of something: personal attacks are not allowed on this forum. Start behaving or I will be forced to treat you like miscreant children. :rant: