Wild boar are expanding their range across Europe and North America, creating conflicts with agriculture and raising welfare questions about management methods.
Wild boar and feral pigs are intelligent social animals whose welfare during control operations is often poor. Snaring causes prolonged suffering and non-target captures. Aerial shooting without follow-up of wounded animals causes significant suffering. Poison baiting programmes raise welfare concerns about the method of death. Where boar coexist with human activity, non-lethal deterrence should be maximised before lethal control is employed.