Steady increase in the number of wild boars in the country
Javali (wild boar, wild swine or wild pig) has become one of the most controversial wild mammals in Portugal. Once mainly restricted in remote forested and mountainous areas, populations have rapidly expanded and are now present across much of the country.
The wild boar is a pig native to much of Eurasia. The species is now one of the wides-ranging mammals in the world and has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats.
The species are divided in four regional groupings (Western, Eastern, Indian, and Indonesian). The wild boars live in matriarchal societies consisting of females and their young. Fully grown males are usually solitary outside the breeding season. The species has well developed canine teeth, which protrude from the mouths of adult males.
The wild boar has a long history of association with humans, having been the ancestor of domestic pig breeds as from 13,000 BCE in the Near East (Tigris Basin). The Portuguese word javali stems from the Arabic word ‘jabalii’ (meaning ountaineers’).There was also a separate domestication in China some 8,000 years ago.
The English term ‘boar’ is mostly referred to wild males, but is also used to refer to domesticated, male breeding pigs. In domestic pigs most of their bodyweight is concentrated in the posterior, which is the opposite of wild boars, where most of the muscles are concentrated in the head and shoulders.
In the Mediterranean region, males average 50 kg in weight (females 45 kg). The animal’s head is very large, taking up to one-third of the body’s length, and well suited for digging. The head acts as a plough, while the powerful neck muscles allow to upturn considerable amounts of soil. The animal’s main predator in Europe is the wolf.
According to the European density map – produced by the international network ENETWILD with reference values from the European Wildlife Observatory (EOW) – the wild boar is, after the roe deer, the most widespread hoofed mammal in Europe, inhabiting a wide range of environments, from forests and scrubland to agricultural areas and high altitudes with harsh winters.
The EOW states that hunting data show a steady increase in the number of wild boars in Europe. This growth leads to concerns about damage to agriculture, traffic risks and the potential spread of infectious diseases such as African swine fever. Nowadays, Portugal is home to 400,000 wild boars with a clear increase (25%) over the past 10 years.
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