Wild boar are returning to parts of Europe after centuries of absence. Their welfare in rewilded and feral populations raises novel management questions alongside significant ecological and social considerations.
Wild boar welfare in rewilded and feral contexts is an emerging management challenge with no established framework. In truly wild settings with sufficient habitat and low human pressure, wild boar welfare is primarily determined by natural factors — food availability, predation, disease, and weather. Where boar come into contact with humans — through agricultural land incursion, road networks, or urban fringe expansion — welfare and safety concerns multiply. Culling as a population management tool raises welfare questions about shooting accuracy, wounded animal mortality, and disruption of social groups. The welfare-optimal approach to wild boar management requires coordinated landscape-scale planning that minimises conflict through deterrence and land management rather than reactive culling, and ensures that necessary culling is conducted to the highest welfare standards.