Wild boar have established feral populations in parts of the UK, creating human-wildlife conflict that raises welfare questions about population management methods.
Wild boar population management raises significant welfare concerns about the humaneness of control methods. Night-time shooting using thermal or night-vision equipment can be highly effective and humane when performed by skilled shooters, but carries risks of wounded animals that escape to die slowly. Family groups are disrupted by selective culling, potentially orphaning dependent juveniles. Wild boar that are wounded and escape into dense vegetation face extended suffering before death that is difficult to monitor. The welfare of individual wild boar must be considered alongside land management objectives. Lethal control that prioritises clean kills, minimises orphaning of juveniles, and monitors wounded animal outcomes provides the best welfare framework for necessary population management.