Wild pigs present threat to diversity, and humans

According to Highland gamekeepers, wild pig populations are out of control, with groups of them now within a mile of Inverness city centre. The wild boar are said to number as many as 5,000 in the Great Glen and could pose a threat to humans. 

Local gamekeeper Robert Sanderson claims to have seen a pig that weighed an estimated 37st, and warns that their numbers are becoming unmanageable. NatureScot has said it is working to count the feral pigs, and hopes to have accurate data by February of next year. A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) told Shooting Times: “This is an issue the SGA has been warning about since around 2014, when the populations began to expand and agricultural damage was beginning to be seen. 

“It took NatureScot quite a time to react to a moving picture but it is good it has now put in place best practice guidelines for the safe management of the species. 

“Feral pigs can cause significant damage to biodiversity and, in the wrong circumstances, can pose a threat of injury to humans. The genie looks to be well and truly out of the bottle.”