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Animals
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Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems
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Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 6974

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carlos González-Crespo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance (CADMS), Tupper Hall, Department of Medicine & Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Interests: modeling; management; epidemiology; AI; conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations have traditionally been exposed to intensive hunting pressure, habitat loss, and other human activities. However, during recent decades, conservation efforts and social and environmental factors have increased their range, currently including the urban environment, and the abundance of wild boar populations, leading to a series of management and conservation challenges. These challenges have been exacerbated by the fast spread of African swine fever (ASF) around the world. With wild boar playing a major role in the transmission of ASF among countries, the disease has a devastating economic and social impact. The effective management of wild boar populations requires an integrated approach that considers both ecological and socio-economic factors in local contexts. Further research is needed to better understand how different management approaches affect wild boar populations in different contexts, as well as their interactions with pathogens and other species. This Special Issue covers topics such as population dynamics, spatial behavior, habitat use, management, epidemiology, hunting regulations, and human wildlife interactions and conflicts.

Dr. Carlos González-Crespo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • population dynamics
  • spatial behavior
  • habitat use
  • management
  • epidemiology
  • hunting regulations
  • human–wildlife interactions
  • human–wildlife conflicts
  • wild pig
  • genetics

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 342 KiB  
Article
The Hunt for Kinder Practices: Minimising Harm to Wild Boar Welfare, Insights from a Qualitative Study in Wallonia (Belgium)
by Pauline Emond and Dorothée Denayer
Animals 2024, 14(23), 3370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14233370 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 516
Abstract
As in the rest of Europe, the Belgian boar population has been tending to increase, posing new challenges to management by hunting. Moreover, in autumn 2018, the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus penetrated Belgian territory. In response to this so-called overpopulation and to [...] Read more.
As in the rest of Europe, the Belgian boar population has been tending to increase, posing new challenges to management by hunting. Moreover, in autumn 2018, the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus penetrated Belgian territory. In response to this so-called overpopulation and to this health crisis, wild boars were massively culled by hunters and other nature managers. The wild boar was then debated by some stakeholders as a sensitive animal and that its welfare mattered even if it must still be killed. In this article, we explore the management of wild boar through a qualitative sociological survey focusing on damage to the welfare of wild animals and ways of limiting it. This survey is part of an innovative process launched by the Walloon Region and the Walloon Council for Animal Welfare (CWBEA). It was conducted in order to qualitatively describe current hunting practices and their impact on animal welfare; it then integrated knowledge from the human sciences into the CWBEA’s work; and, finally, those from the hunting world were invited to debate with the usual animal welfare advocates and managers. By identifying, based on the knowledge of hunting stakeholders and wildlife specialists, a multitude of issues and avenues for action to limit the harm to the welfare of wild boars, this paper highlights the relevance of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to the welfare issues of wild animals. It supports the hypothesis that animal welfare advocates can work toward establishing new norms in human/nonhuman relationships in collaboration with hunters but also to include wild animals—wild boars in this case—as sentient beings whose welfare must be considered and debated in discussions on global health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
14 pages, 2700 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Wild Boar-Damaged Farmland and Assessment of Effectiveness of Prevention Measures in Northeast China
by Ning Zhang, Yang Hong, Xiaoqing Yuan, Liulisha Zhao and Minghai Zhang
Animals 2024, 14(21), 3079; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213079 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 611
Abstract
Although wild boar invasion is a common human–wildlife conflict worldwide, it is difficult to solve. Understanding the characteristics of wild boar invasion into farmland, accurately predicting the areas where wild boar invasions will occur, and implementing effective prevention and control measures are key [...] Read more.
Although wild boar invasion is a common human–wildlife conflict worldwide, it is difficult to solve. Understanding the characteristics of wild boar invasion into farmland, accurately predicting the areas where wild boar invasions will occur, and implementing effective prevention and control measures are key to effectively alleviating conflicts between humans and wild boars. From 2021 to 2023, we conducted field surveys and experimentally determined the effectiveness of prevention and control measures in the Huanan and Tonghe Counties in order to explore the landscape and farmland factors affecting wild boar invasion, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of different combinations of prevention and control measures. The results indicate that the mean patch area, patch area coefficient of variation, and forest type edge density show positive linear correlations with the invaded area, which is positively associated with the presence of ditches and negatively correlated with the existence of electronic fences. Meanwhile, there are non-linear relationships between invasion and the edge density of farmland type, the proportion of forests, the Shannon uniformity index, the proportion of residential areas, the distance from the village, the distance from the forest, and the population density. In particular, the risk of wild boar invasion is higher in the border area between forest and farmland. The loss rate of farmland under the different control measures (compound) was significantly lower than that in the electronic fence group (single) (p < 0.05). Based on these findings, we put forward the following suggestions for the prevention and control of wild boar: (1) widen and deepen the narrow landscape elements around farmland; (2) focus on the border area between forest and farmland; and (3) use compound prevention and control measures. This study provides a comprehensive foundation for future wild boar prevention and control research, and it contributes to the formulation of effective wild boar prevention and control policies worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
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11 pages, 1249 KiB  
Article
Serological and Molecular Survey of Rickettsial Agents in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) from Midwestern Brazil
by Nicolas Jalowitzki de Lima, Gracielle Teles Pádua, Ennya Rafaella Neves Cardoso, Raphaela Bueno Mendes Bittencourt, Mariana Avelar Tavares, Warley Vieira de Freitas Paula, Lucianne Cardoso Neves, Carlos Damian Segovia, Gabriel Cândido dos Santos, Maria Carolina de Azevedo Serpa, Denise Caroline Toledo, Lívia Mendonça Pascoal, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Alexander Welker Biondo and Felipe da Silva Krawczak
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2224; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152224 - 31 Jul 2024
Viewed by 976
Abstract
Wild boars (Sus scrofa L.) are considered among the most harmful invasive species worldwide, causing irreversible ecosystem damage, acting as zoonotic spreaders and reservoirs, threatening human and animal health, and having an important economic impact. Accordingly, the present study has assessed the [...] Read more.
Wild boars (Sus scrofa L.) are considered among the most harmful invasive species worldwide, causing irreversible ecosystem damage, acting as zoonotic spreaders and reservoirs, threatening human and animal health, and having an important economic impact. Accordingly, the present study has assessed the rickettsial exposure, tick infestation of wild boars, and rickettsial DNA presence in ticks from infested animals from the Cerrado biome in midwestern Brazil. Anti-Rickettsia spp. antibodies were detected in serum samples of wild boars by immunofluorescence assay. Overall, 106/285 (37.2%) wild boar serum samples from 13 to 18 (72.2%) municipalities showed seroreactivity to at least one of the four Rickettsia spp. antigens tested, the largest number of wild boars serologically tested to Rickettsia spp. in this type of study. Among the 106 seroreactive animals, 34 showed possible homologous reactions between R. parkeri, R. amblyommatis, and R. bellii, with endpoint titers between 128 and 512. A sample of 45 ticks collected from four culled wild boars was identified as Amblyomma sculptum, and all tested negative for rickettsial DNA presence. In conclusion, this study has provided a reliable sampling seroprevalence and indicated high exposure of wild boars to rickettsial agents, with a potential interaction with Rickettsia spp. from the spotted fever group within the Cerrado biome from midwestern Brazil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
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8 pages, 2334 KiB  
Communication
Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Germany: Serological Screening from Thuringia
by Zaida Rentería-Solís, Paul Deutschmann, Thomas W. Vahlenkamp and Kristin Heenemann
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2148; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152148 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 850
Abstract
Game meat is an important source of meat borne parasitic infections. Due to its omnivorous diet, the wild boar is an important host of zoonotic parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii can cause severe to fatal disease in immunosuppressed patients, as [...] Read more.
Game meat is an important source of meat borne parasitic infections. Due to its omnivorous diet, the wild boar is an important host of zoonotic parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii can cause severe to fatal disease in immunosuppressed patients, as well as congenital disorders in foetus and neonates. Consumption of undercooked infected meat is a main source of T. gondii infection. Information about the risk of toxoplasmosis through game meat is scarce. We collected serum samples from 42 wild boars from the federal state of Thuringia (Germany) between December 2017 and February 2018. Identification of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies was conducted using a commercial indirect ELISA kit. Seropositivity was confirmed in 18 of the 42 samples (37.50%). From these, the highest seroprevalence was found in adult animals. This study joins another single database from wild boars in Brandenburg. The necessity of a country-wide database regarding T. gondii prevalence in wild boar and other game meat is pivotal for a profound risk analysis with its consequential impact in future mean hygiene policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
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15 pages, 4811 KiB  
Article
Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Based on Damage, Distribution, and Activity: A Case Study of Wild Boar in Zhejiang, Eastern China
by Junchen Liu, Shanshan Zhao, Liping Tan, Jianwu Wang, Xiao Song, Shusheng Zhang, Feng Chen and Aichun Xu
Animals 2024, 14(11), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14111639 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 1073
Abstract
Human–wildlife conflicts are becoming increasingly common worldwide and are a challenge to biodiversity management. Compared with compensatory management, which often focuses on solving emergency conflicts, mitigation management allows decision-makers to better understand where the damage is distributed, how the species are distributed and [...] Read more.
Human–wildlife conflicts are becoming increasingly common worldwide and are a challenge to biodiversity management. Compared with compensatory management, which often focuses on solving emergency conflicts, mitigation management allows decision-makers to better understand where the damage is distributed, how the species are distributed and when the species conduct their activity. Here, we integrated data collected from 90 districts/counties’ damage surveys and 1271 camera traps to understand the damage status, abundance, density and activity rhythms of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Zhejiang, Eastern China, from January 2019 to August 2023. We found that (1) wild boar–human conflicts were mainly distributed in the northwest and southwest mountainous regions of Zhejiang Province; (2) the total abundance of wild boar was 115,156 ± 24,072 individuals, indicating a growing trend over the past decade and a higher density in the western and southern regions; (3) wild boar exhibited different activity patterns across different damage regions, and the periods around 7:00, 11:00 and 16:00 represented activity peaks for wild boar in seriously damaged regions. The damage distribution, density, distribution and activity rhythms provide specific priority regions and activity intensity peaks for conflict mitigation. We believe that these findings based on the damage, distribution and activity could provide a scientific basis for mitigation management at the county level and enrich the framework of human–wildlife conflict mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
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14 pages, 6263 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Patterns of African Swine Fever in Wild Boar in the Russian Federation (2007–2022): Using Clustering Tools for Revealing High-Risk Areas
by Olga I. Zakharova, Fedor I. Korennoy, Ivan V. Yashin, Olga A. Burova, Elena A. Liskova, Nadezhda A. Gladkova, Irina V. Razheva and Andrey A. Blokhin
Animals 2023, 13(19), 3081; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193081 - 2 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1932
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease that affects both domestic pigs (DPs) and wild boar (WB). The WB population plays an important role in the spread of ASF as the WB acts as a natural reservoir of the virus and transmits [...] Read more.
African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease that affects both domestic pigs (DPs) and wild boar (WB). The WB population plays an important role in the spread of ASF as the WB acts as a natural reservoir of the virus and transmits it to other susceptible wild and domestic pigs. Our study was aimed at revealing the areas with a high concentration of the WB population, and their potential relationships with the grouping of ASF cases in WB during the course of the ASF spread in the Russian Federation (2007–2022). We collected the annual data on WB numbers by municipalities within the regions of the most intensive ASF spread. We then conducted spatiotemporal analysis to identify clustering areas of ASF cases and compare them with the territories with a high density of WB population. We found that some of the territories with elevated ASF incidence in WB demonstrated spatial and temporal coincidence with the areas with a high WB population density. We also visualized the zones (“emerging hot spots”) with a statistically significant rise in the WB population density in recent years, which may be treated as areas of paramount importance for the application of surveillance measures and WB population control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Wild Boar Populations—Achievements and Problems)
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