Wild boar populations across Europe have expanded dramatically in recent decades. Managing human-wildlife conflict while maintaining appropriate welfare standards for managed animals is an ongoing challenge.
Wild boar welfare in managed populations depends on hunting practices and post-wounding care. Non-lethal wounds from poor shots can cause prolonged suffering - welfare-positive hunting requires high accuracy standards, mandatory follow-up searches for wounded animals using trained dogs, and appropriate shot selection. Welfare during population management must balance individual animal suffering against population-level disease risk (ASF) and agricultural damage. Urban boar raise particular welfare concerns because non-lethal deterrence is preferred in public areas but effective deterrence methods are limited. The welfare of boar in areas with active ASF infection is compromised by the disease itself.