Wild boars can look rather dirty but are harmless – much like a wild pig. But you should never underestimate the power and strength of any wild boar – despite their size.
This article will give you all the information you need about how dangerous wild boars are and the trouble they can cause. As well as when, how, why, to whom plus more.
Wild boar are dangerous due to attacks caused on humans, and because of diseases that they can spread among humans and domestic animals. Wild Boar become aggressive easily and can attack humans when provoked. So they are short-tempered by nature. but are calm when left at a distance.
A wild boar can turn quickly and become very dangerous. It will in the right circumstances not hesitate to attack humans and even pets or other animals.
Why is wild boar dangerous?
Just many other wild animals, wild boars are dangerous for a number of reasons.
Firstly wild boars have physical capabilities including a well-built body with sharp tusk-like teeth that they can use for defensive purposes.
Also, wild boars are much more short-tempered than domestic pigs.
This short-tempered nature, along with a larger, more powerful, better-built body and the wilderness – rather than domestication – has given wild boars all the capacity to be dangerous, especially in terms of attacks.
Alongside this, wild boar are known to be dangerous because of the various diseases they can spread to both humans and animals.
Wild boar are omnivores
Wild boars are omnivorous, so they feed on both plants and animals. They are deemed as scavengers and opportunists and are known to devour most plants and small animals they find, this includes carrion and even manure.
When are wild boar dangerous?
In the interests of balance, I should state that wild boars are not always dangerous.
Usually, wild boar are nocturnal anyway. They can be shy and prefer staying far away from humans. They become dangerous only when…
- They feel they are cornered, ignored, or threatened
- They need to defend themselves from animals, humans, and hunters
- They need to protect their young. This is one of the major causes for many wild boars being dangerous in terms of attacks – particularly females with their young.
- The meat of these animals, when they are infected with the disease becomes dangerous in causing diseases.
How wild boar attack
Wild boar do have some amazing tricks when it comes to attacking.
Firstly this animal undertakes a head-on charge in an attempt to trip the victim to the ground.
This trip alone could cause serious injury, especially with impacts to the upper legs.
Wild boars weigh around 660 lbs, and their body is thick, solid, massive and powerful enough to easily cause injuries.
Boars also make use of their razor-sharp teeth that protrude like tusks and of course its intelligent brain because wild boars are considered one of the more intelligent animals in the world.
Continued attack
After felling its adversary, a wild boar doesn’t stop there, it carefully observes for any movement of the victim.
If the victim is still fine and can move around, the wild boar assumes a second charge to attack the victim again, until the victim is ultimately incapacitated.
Attacks are better known to occur during the rutting season, between November and January.
What’s dangerous about a wild boar?
There are two main things that are dangerous about wild boar.
Firstly it’s their attacking abilities which are the hard-charging capabilities and the added use of tusk damage. Secondly, it’s the variety of diseases it can spread.
They are somewhat seen as pests in some regions too. Wild boar have also been known to invade farms, house parks, and fields, and dig up the soil and destroy vegetation.
What and who are wild boar dangerous toward?
Firstly wild boars are dangerous to humans because they can easily attack them.
The same as the danger posed by many aggressively-natured wild animals, wild boars are dangerous to pets, livestock, farms, fields, and crops.
Wild boars have the habit of digging up the soil to find food. This behavior means wild boars damage places like parks, fields, farms, and crops.
However, the invasion of wild boars to house gardens is a man-made cause of wild boars becoming seemingly more dangerous. their proximity to humans has become greater.
Population increase in wild boar
The wild boar population has increased over the years, but despite this, these animals have continued to lose their habitats.
The reason for this is down to human expansion and activity. Humans continue with deforestation and the growth of settlements in the habitats of these animals.
As such the destruction of the habitat of the wild boar is driving them into more cities and ultimately individual properties. And with it comes the increased danger to humans, pets, and human properties.
When do they attack humans?
Wild boars generally stay away from humans and are not normally known to attack humans unless actively provoked.
But they are very short-tempered, which means even the slightest provoking can trigger these animals to attack.
What provokes wild boar?
Although there are few things that provoke a wild boar, one of the main things that provoke these animals – like many animals – is when they feel potential and imminent harm to their young ones.
In fact, many wild boar attacks are caused when the adult wild boars try to save their young ones.
Bullying, cornering, and threatening are some of the aspects that can easily provoke this animal.
If you’re wondering why you may not have seen many in your travels, this is probably because wild boar are nocturnal, and you may only come across them at night, plus they are also timid animals.
Are wild boar aggressive?
Wild boar are not aggressive most of the time. In fact much of the time they are relatively calm and prefer minding their own business – while mainly foraging for food.
But when startled, provoked, or when the need arises to defend themselves and their young, they can easily turn aggressive
Most hunters say that a wild boar can be more dangerous and aggressive than a wild bear.
Wild boar carry dangerous diseases
Most of us see wild boar as dangerous because of the potential attack and known attacks they can cause
But it’s important to include the danger they can spread in terms of diseases.
Wild boar are animals well-known for spreading several viruses, bacteria, and parasites that are transmissible to domestic animals and humans.
This risk of spreading diseases has increased over the years. Because most wild boar habitats are cleared for farming purposes along with the increased consumption of wild boar meat.
This has increased the exposure of wild boar related mites and diseases to both domestic animals and humans.
Common diseases spread by wild boar
Some common diseases that are spread by wild boars and are very dangerous include:
- Hepatitis E
- Tuberculosis
- Leptospirosis
- Trichinellosis
In particular, the outbreak of trichinellosis has believed to have come from the consumption of wild boar meat in Cambodia in 2017.
To finish…
I hope this has helped answer the question – are wild boar dangerous. It’s best to avoid contact with Wild boar wherever possible.