Management of a wild boar population and its effects on commercial land

Abstract

Studies were made from 1965-1970 within the Kampinos National Park forest near Warsaw and surrounding area, for the purpose of ascertaining the possibility of limiting the amount of damage caused by wild boar, Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 on commercial land. The purpose of managing the population was to bring about a greater number of older individuals. The population was regularly supplied with supplementary food, records were kept of degree to which use was made of the food, feeding times, along with damage done by the animals to crops. A total of 507 individuals was marked, obtaining 2640 captures and 6180 separate observations. The supply of food brought about an increase in population numbers from about 30 to 250 animals (within an area of approx. 2.5 thousand ha of wooded land), followed by a decrease of about 50-70 individuals. The population consisted of settled and migrating (ephemeral) individuals. Some of the individuals were found to migrate over a considerable distances (over 250 km). The number of females in the population exceeded the number of males, particularly in the older age classes. Increase in population numbers resulted in the animals feeding on supplementary food during the daytime hours also. Consumption of supplementary food decreased damages in spite of increasing the population numbers. The wild boar caused 75% of all damage from May to August. It is suggested that supplementary food should be provided for wild boar during the period when maximum damage is done since, by appropriately controlling age structure, population density can be maintained on a level of 30-40 animals per 1000 ha of woodland.