Wild boar populations have expanded across Europe and North America as rural areas rewild. Managing human-boar conflict ethically requires understanding boar welfare and behavior.
Wild boar caught in snares suffer from entanglement injuries, starvation, and chronic stress over periods of hours to days. Shooting during drives may wound animals that escape and die slowly. Exclusion fencing and deterrents provide alternatives that prevent human-boar conflict without causing direct suffering. Boar are cognitively sophisticated animals whose suffering is comparable to domestic pigs. The expansion of boar populations creates management challenges that too often default to lethal methods without considering welfare costs.