Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries

Part III: Conservation and Management

346

Technical Facilities of Wild Boar Parks

Wild boar parks must be enclosed with a fence that has the ten-

sile strength to withstand the rooting of the boar. The fence must

also prevent the wild boar within the park from escaping and

keep wild boar from outside areas from entering. An electric

fence that is the height of a boar’s nose on both sides of the wire

fence is most effective (Figure 31.6). Significant animal health

issues (swine fever, African swine fever, tuberculosis, brucello-

sis, etc.) can arise when wild boar from outside the park, whose

status of health is unknown, get into the park without any sort

of control screening.

Maintenance staff and equipment can access the park

through gates, which need to be lockable. The building and

operation of disinfecting pools as a preventative measure is also

a part of modern disease control (Jánoska 2010).

Feeders are essential technical equipment in enclosed parks

and there are several types available. The simplest ones are con-

crete feeders between 30 and 50 m^2 where the feed is just scat-

tered. Feeders with automatic time switches are also available

(Jánoska 2010). Artificial salt-licks placed near feeders are able

to provide for the salt needs of wild boar.

An important part of wild boar parks is the holding pen

where captured boar can be easily put into crates and marked,

treated, selected, and transported. The doors of these pens are

usually automatic and the animal uses gates to gain access.

Appropriate wall strength and doors that close quickly and eas-

ily are all important safety measures (West et al. 2009).

Quarantine enclosures are an important part of a wild boar

park; they need to be small, well-organized areas where the boar

can be easily caught and treated.

Hunting Wild Boar in Parks

The use of boar in hunting parks occurs mostly in the form

of driven hunts in the wintertime. Before the hunt, a hunting

plan has to be made. Hunting staff must be well prepared and

educated to ensure the hunt goes swiftly and is accident-free

(Jánoska 2010).

Principles of Animal Health in Hunting Parks

The health status of wild boar in hunting parks must be known

when they arrive from breeding facilities. If they are caught in

Figure 31.5 Wild boar-specific

feeder developed to deliver

contraceptives and other

pharmaceuticals to wild boar (©

Animal and Plant Health Agency).

Figure 31.6 Fence of wild boar enclosure with electric wires (photo by

Ferenc Jánoska).

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