Wild boars: Pigs in the wild

Pig’ is considered taboo in many religions and the majority consider them dirty animals, always delving into and eating dirt. Some domesticated pigs in villages rummage in garbage dumps looking for anything - even carcasses that are half rotten. Their fat body is often covered by mud and other dirt that they have caught on their skin, which further reinforces their image as filthy animals. Even the wild form of these domesticated pigs, are considered the same, even though they are named differently and are called wild boars.
The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species - including, confusingly, domestic pigs. However, for wild boars, it applies to the whole specie, including, for example, wild boar sows or wild boar piglets. Wild hogs or simply ‘boars’ are also called scavengers in the wild. They indeed are omnivorous scavengers: eating almost anything they come across, including grass, nuts, berries, carrion, and nests of ground nesting birds, roots, tubers, refuse, insects and small reptiles. This scavenging has also earned them the title Forest Cleaners.
Wild boars are not rare and are commonly found in Sri Lanka’s jungles. They still survive in many forest patches that are located very close to human settlements. They are widespread from lowland wet zone forests to dry zone scrub lands. Proving that they are quite adaptable animals, the wild boar can also be found in abundance  in the cold hill country. Some of the coldest places in Sri Lanka, such as the Horton Plains, are also home to wild boars.

Unwelcome Guest
Unfortunately, they are also considered pests by many farmers as they frequently invade farmlands and eat up vegetables and other tubers. Even the law is not strict in protecting them giving the farmers an opportunity to hunt down any intruders to their farmlands. Wild boars become active mainly in the night. Early mornings and late afternoons would be the best time to see these animals that sometimes move in herds in forested areas. They like to rest during other times and also like to dig whenever they get an opportunity.
Wild boars are indeed the wild ancestors of the domesticated pig. Ancient man had captured pigs from the wild and through hybrids they have raised the present domesticated pig. But unlike the domesticated pig, the body of the wild boar is compact and is covered by a heavy layer of fur. They also have a clear ridge on their back made of very thick fur that stand out like a decoration almost like a crown. Their heads are large, but the legs relatively short, giving them a funny appearance.  The fur consists of stiff bristles and the colour usually varies from dark grey to black or brown. This dense fur has given them the chance to survive in colder climatic conditions.
A fully grown boar can grow up to 90-200 cm (35-79 in) in length without the tail of 15-40 cm (5.9-16 in), and have a shoulder height of 55-110 cm (22-43 in). As a whole, their average weight is 50-90 kg, as per web sources. But their sizes can vary according to the region that they live in.
Wild boars have incredibly poor eyesight as they have very small-sized eyes, but they also have long, straight snouts which gives them a strong sense of smell. The snouts of the wild boar are probably one of these animals most characteristic features, and like other wild pigs, it sets these mammals apart. The wild boars’ snout is a cartilaginous disk at the end, which is supported by small bones - the pre nasal, that allows wild boars to use their snouts as excavator backhoes when foraging.

Sharp Tusks
Male wild boars have tusks that can inflict painful injury. Their tusks are continuously growing teeth that protrude from the mouth, from their upper and lower canine teeth. These tusks are used as weapons against their predators. The upper tusks are bent upwards in males, and are regularly ground against the lower ones to produce sharp edges. The tusks normally measure about 6 cm (2.4 in), in exceptional cases even 12 cm (4.7 in). Females also have sharp canines, but they are smaller, and not protruding -- like the males’ tusks, say  zoological experts.

There are many who have fallen victim to attacks of panicking wild boars. If surprised or cornered, a boar (particularly a sow with piglets) can and will defend itself and its young with intense vigour. The males, lower their heads, charge, and then slash upwards with the tusks. Females, whose tusks are not visible, charge - head up, mouth wide, and bite. Their sharp tusk is strong enough to tear the flesh off and it is advised not to walk around jungle roads at times when wild boars are expected to come out. Leopards are the worst predator of wild boars, but with their sharp tusks, the wild boar sometimes turns the tables, making the leopard victim. There are many eye witness records where leopards have been sighted being chased away by angry wild boars. Boar moms can be very aggressive when they have piglets and humans need to be extremely careful, when in the wild, as they do not hesitate to attack anybody to ensure the safety of their piglets.

Different Piglet
After a gestation period of 112 - 115 days, boar mothers raise a litter of 3 - 12 piglets. The sows prepare for the birth by constructing a nest of grass and the babies are born into this. The mother has 8 - 14 teats and each piglet has its own teat from which to suckle. It is said, that the first piglets born choose a teat near their mother’s head so that they have a better chance of attracting her attention and are less likely to be trodden on. The piglets are born with stripes and these help to camouflage them in the undergrowth.
Wild boar piglets look vey different to their parents as they are marbled chocolate coloured and have cream stripes over their bodies. The stripes fade by the time the piglet is about 6 months old, when the animal takes on the adult’s grizzled grey or brown colour. Female wild boars and their offspring live in groups called sounders. Sounders typically number around 20 animals, although groups of over 50 have been seen, and will consist of 2 to 3 sows; one of which will be the dominant female. Group structure changes with the coming and going of farrowing females, the movements of maturing males (usually when they reach around 20 months) and the arrival of unrelated sexually active males.
Wild boars are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa’s Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far off as Indonesia. Populations have also been artificially introduced to  some parts of the world, most notably the Americas and Australasia, principally for hunting. Elsewhere too, wild boars, have grown in number, multiplying after escaping from captivity.

Hakka Patas and Snarls
Today, wild boars have been listed by the IUCN as being a species that is of least concern of becoming extinct, in its natural environment, in the near future. Population numbers are suffering on the whole, however, mainly due to hunting and loss of habitats and even in Sri Lanka due to demand for their flesh, hunting of wild boar is on the increase. Earlier, hunters had commonly placed a loaded gun on the  paths frequented by these animals. But nowadays, wire snarls are commonly placed to catch these animals. But the most gruesome method used to kill wild boar is the locally made explosive device called ‘Hakka Patas’. The poachers crush dried fish and other rotting items together with small stones and explosives, which mix wild boars can’t resist the temptation to bite on. When it does, there is an explosion inside the mouth, fatally injuring the animal. But death is not usually instant and it’s a painful slow death, with much suffering.
Unfortunately, not only wild boars, but other animals too frequently fall victim to these traps. Several leopards have already been killed by getting caught in wire snarls. In their attempt to escape, the animal struggles, further tightening the wire and killing the unlucky animal. The hakka patas have already claimed the lives of several elephants as they too bite in to the bait. When elephants fall victim to these explosives, they usually suffer for a long time, as they do not die instantly. So conservationists point out that though wild boar populations are not threatened, the ways poachers kill wild boar can harm  other threatened animals, and measures need to be taken to control the situation.

Facts on Pigs

You would be surprised that their fur had been used for Tooth Brushes until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s. Even though these bristles were soft, they had taken time to dry - so these were replaced by plastic bristles.

Here are some other facts on pigs...
l Pigs are intelligent animals.
l Like humans, pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and other animals.
l The pig’s snout is an important tool for finding food on the ground and sensing the world around them.
l Pigs have an excellent sense of smell.
l There are around 2 billion pigs in the world.
l Humans farm pigs for meat such as pork, bacon and ham.
l Some people like to keep pigs as pets.
l Wild pigs (boar) are often hunted in the wild.
l In some areas of the world, wild boars are the main source of food for tigers.
l Feral pigs that have been introduced into new areas can be a threat to the local ecosystem.
l Pigs can pass on a variety of diseases to humans.
l Relative to their body size, pigs have small lungs.
www.sciencekids.co.nz

Published on LakbimaNews on 22.07.2012 http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6209:wild-boars-pigs-in-the-wild&catid=41:mag&Itemid=12