HAVING BEEN extinct for hundreds of years in Ireland, the wild boar appears to be making a comeback in many parts of the country.
Biodiversity Ireland has reported sightings at a number of locations in 2009.
The most startling of their reports revealed a 396lb boar “was shot near a school playground in south Tipperary” earlier this year. The group have also recorded sightings of sows, boars and piglets in counties Kilkenny and Wicklow.
The physical environment has greatly changed since the wild boar became extinct in Ireland several centuries ago.
Wildlife group Invasive Species Ireland is concerned about its reappearance. Ironically, due to the extinction of the Irish wolf, the wild boar has no natural predators in Ireland and could “expand unchallenged”, it said.
Coillte’s game and wildlife manager Barry Coad said he had dealt with a number of wild boar over the past year. He described the problem as “quite widespread throughout the country”.
Mr Coad has been directly involved in removing nine animals from Piltown in Co Kilkenny and Glenealy in Co Wicklow. “I think it is a serious concern for agriculture and also there is potential for spreading disease,” he said.
Wild boar are known to uproot large areas of land, eliminate native vegetation and have the potential to spread disease to domestic livestock.
Colonies of wild boar have become established in parts of the UK in the past decade.
Chairman of the Wild Deer Association of Ireland Pat Scully said one of his members shot a wild boar in Clogheen near Cahir in Co Tipperary earlier this year.
“There was one shot in Cahir earlier but it would be assumed that it would have been bred in captivity,” said Mr Scully.
He was aware of people keeping the animals which could be imported with a licence. “There are some in captivity and I presume it is a safe assumption that some would escape,” he said.