Among the various pests that affect our yard, there is one that is perhaps among the most aggressive and even potentially deadly for humans: the wild boar.
In the small village where I live, recently, it was decided to create small community gardens for each family. We all welcomed the decision very warmly, but we soon asked ourselves: how were we going to protect our garden from the most feared animal, the wild boar?
We live not too far from the big city, close to a small forest where wild boars hide during the day. At night they come out fearless and undisturbed. They often approach our property, unleashing complete chaos among the guard dogs.
More than once in the morning, we found ourselves busy doing damage counting: devastated meadows, eaten crops, damaged trees, and … garbage ripped to shreds.
Wild boars are omnivorous, that is, they eat EVERYTHING. They have voracious appetites; this means that in addition to being attracted to the veggies from our garden, they won’t disdain our garbage bins.
The natural ability to adapt to the environment and reproduce, make wild boars a constant source of concern for their strongly negative impact on biodiversity and for the damage they can cause.
Here are the best tips to fight this problem.
7 Tips On How To Keep Wild Boars Away From Your Yard
There are several ways to keep wild boars away from your property. These are the most relevant tips on how to protect your yard from these annoying animals:
- Put a fence on your property
- Use wild boar traps
- Use light sensors
- Apply wild boar repellent
- Use an electronic ultrasound repellent
- Hunt them
- Use of dogs
Wild hogs are tough to repel, and no method is known to be 100% efficient. You will need to use several measures at once to obtain satisfactory results.
Let’s analyze each of these wild boar control methods:
1. Put a fence on your property against wild boars
Fence the area with barbed wire or electric fences and periodically check that the fence is intact. You would be surprised to find out how smart and stubborn these animals are.
This solution is the most effective if there is the possibility of implementing it.
Another solution could be installing a band of plastic mesh around your garden. Make sure to install it an inch or two off the ground, as hogs will avoid walking over anything that will tie their legs up.
2. Use wild boar traps
Cage traps are the ones used to catch wild boars. The premise is that the wild pig goes into the cage to get access to the food inside (bait), and the door closes behind him. Usually, these traps can catch a single animal, but it can happen to find a female wild boar trapped in the cage and her young piglets outside, near the trap.
Once you trapped the animal, the best thing to do is to call your local government agency that deals with dangerous wildlife. Check with them what to do next, since it is probably illegal to release the feral pig in a different area, and your state may require to kill the animal.
Caution: These traps should be placed away from areas where people and pets are likely to come into contact with them, as they can often catch other animals than wild boars.
3. Use Light Sensors
These are electronic or solar devices that can protect your garden with a bright flash of light. The light activates automatically at dust, and its flash mimics the eye of predators. When the hogs see the light, they fear for their safety and leave your property. This device works very well for other animals, too, such as raccoons and coyotes.
4. Use wild boar repellent
If your problem with wild boar is mild, a repellent might do the work.
There are products on the market, such as “bad tasting” liquid sprays that you can spray to keep them away. Spray it on your garden and make your plants taste terrible to the hogs, making them leave your property and look for another place. It is harmless to you and your pets. Reapply every few weeks, especially after the rain.
Another product is granules repellent. This product has a very palpable smell, but once the wild boars try to eat them, they get an unpleasant feeling and move away from the area.
The hog will link its reaction to the product and place and won’t come back.
The best way to use this product is to apply small amounts in several places rather than concentrate a significant amount in one single location.
Can be used in organic agriculture.
5. Electronic Ultrasound Repellents
These electronic devices emit an intense signal to scare pests and animals away from your yard. Each unit can protect quite a large area.
The wild boars won’t be harmed by the ultrasonic frequencies emitted by the repeller. This device functions without any toxic or harmful chemicals, making it the perfect product for organic farming. If you have a mild hog problem, it works great.
6. Hunt them
If you do have wild boars who keep coming back to your yard and show no signs of leaving, hunting them is probably the best solution. Please keep in mind that it is a serious matter, and unless you have some experience in the field, it is best to put it in the hands of a professional. Call your authorities and ask for a pro who specializes in feral pig hunting. By doing so, you will also solve the problem regarding the dead animal since you surely don’t want to be stuck in a situation where you have to deal with the carcass. Wild boars can carry diseases to humans and pets (I will explain it later), that’s why it is not advisable to eat the animal after killing it.
You need to be very careful when approaching a wild boar. Usually, it doesn’t look for confrontation. It will flee if given a chance, however, bear in mind that these animals can reach large dimensions and are known to be aggressive and unpredictable, especially if it’s a mother defending her offspring. Many wild pigs have tusks that can be particularly dangerous.
7. Use of dogs
The presence of a dog can be an excellent deterrent to discourage wild boars, especially if combined with other measures.
Why Are Wild Boars Considered Dangerous?
There are several reasons why these animals are considered dangerous to humans, other animals, and the environment. Here are the main ones:
- Diseases
- They feed on small animals
- They are aggressive
- They compete with other animals
- They damage crops, gardens, and meadows.
- Their habit of wallowing can be devastating
Does Wild Boar’s Meat Carry Diseases?
Wild boar meat has been related to the spread of many diseases and intoxications. One may contract these diseases by eating raw or undercooked meat.
Although wild boar meat is very popular and highly appreciated, the meat we see on the market is usually farmed meat.
These diseases are called zoonoses and can be transmitted from wild animals to domestic animals and humans.
Among them, the most dangerous are:
- Brucellosis
- Tuberculosis
- Trichinellosis
- Hepatitis E
Moreover, wild boars feed on carcasses, and they are subject to Trichinella spiralis infections. (If you have a wild boar problem, remember their digging habits and think again before burying your pet in your backyard! I speak from experience!!)
They can carry highly contagious diseases for animals, such as classical swine fever. These are diseases capable of rapidly compromising entire farms, with severe economic consequences.
Furthermore, this animal can contribute to spreading dangerous pathologies such as Aujeszky’s disease.
Before purchasing wild boar products, it is essential to contact trusted traders and producers and make sure they have the necessary health guarantees. The risk of contracting Trichinella spiralis is quite high for wild animals, not subject to control.
Wild Boars Feed On Small Animals
Perhaps not everyone knows that wild boars do not feed only vegetables, fruits, and tubers. If food is scarce, they can kill small animals such as chickens and rabbits to satisfy their appetite.
Wild Boars Can Be Very Aggressive
As I said before, they are usually shy animals who gladly flee in case of danger; however, if cornered or feel threatened, these animals can become very aggressive and can attack humans and domestic pets.
Wild Boars Compete With Other Animals.
The lack of natural predators, together with their ability to adapt and reproduce led to an overpopulation of wild boars in many areas worldwide. This led them to compete with other smaller animals for a limited food supply.
Wild Hogs Can Damage Crops, Gardens, And Meadows.
When they cannot find food in their natural habitat, wild hogs forage on gardens and crops.
It has been estimated that the cost of wild boar damage to agriculture in the USA is about $1.5 billion annually!
Wild Boar’s Habit Of Wallowing Can Be Devastating
Wild boars, with their habit of wallowing in mud, contaminate water pools and alter stream habitats, destroying aquatic vegetation and decreasing the use of livestock and the production of fish.
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