Wild boar populations are expanding across Europe and North America, creating increasing conflict with agriculture and urban areas that requires humane, evidence-based management responses.
Wild boar conflict management welfare involves the suffering caused by lethal control methods alongside the potential crop damage and road collision risk from unmanaged population growth. Shooting causes varying welfare harm depending on accuracy and whether animals are immediately killed or wounded. Trapping and live removal causes significant stress. Non-lethal deterrents including electric fencing, improved waste management to remove food attractants, and hazing have reduced conflict in some urban contexts with better welfare outcomes than lethal control. Population management that uses lethal control humanely where necessary should use the most rapidly effective methods and combine with non-lethal prevention where possible.