Adaptation of wild boar (Sus scrofa) activity in a human-dominated landscape

Abstract

Background: Wild boars (Sus scrofa L.) are globally widely distributed, and their populations have increased in Europe during recent decades. Encounters between humans and wild boars are rare because of the predominantly nocturnal lifestyle of the latter, and wild boar management by hunting is a challenging task. Animal activity patterns are important for understanding the behaviour of a species. However, knowledge of detailed temporal patterns and an understanding of the drivers of wild boar activity at a fine temporal scale are lacking. Of special relevance for humanwild boar interactions (e.g., encounters, conflicts, and management) is the question of whether nocturnal activity depends on anthropogenic factors and, particularly, how local hunting regimes may affect activity patterns. We used GPS telemetry and acceleration measurements to shed light on this part of wild boar behaviour, observing 34 animals in Central Europe. Animals were tracked along a gradient of hunting pressure from hunting-free areas to areas with low or high hunting pressure. Fitted generalised additive models allowed predicting the probability of active behaviour under differing disturbance regimes precisely to day of year and time of day. Results: The wild boars were predominantly nocturnal, with peak activity at approximately midnight. However, the data showed increased activity during daylight for wild boars that used no-hunting zones or reduced-hunting zones. Large areas with low disturbance levels promoted activity during daylight more than smaller areas with an intermediate disturbance regime. High air temperatures and locations within forests reduced the probability of active behaviour, whereas proximity to tracks used for forestry or agriculture was accompanied by a higher probability of activity. Conclusions: We conclude that wild boars flexibly adjust their activity to their local environmental conditions, considering disturbances at the scale of long-term home ranges as well as actual small-scale landscape quality. Entire wild boar home ranges should be covered in the delineation of reserves intending to stimulate activity during daylight.

Genetic Differentiation of Wild Boar Populations in a Region Endangered by African Swine Fever

“…Wild boar contacts are particularly high within groups but also exist between groups because their home ranges often overlap. Lack of food and cover, supplementary feeding, and hunting pressure increase the home ranges and the chance of contacts (Johann et al 2020). Young animals 0.5–2 years of age are disproportionately involved in contacts between groups, primarily for the biological purpose of reproduction (Podgórski et al 2018).…”

Factors affecting the crop damage by wild boar (Sus scrofa) and effects of population control in the Ticino and Lake Maggiore Park (North-western Italy)

“…Forest expansion is one of the most important factors that favoured the expansion of the wild boar populations (Keuling et al 2009;Servanty et al 2011). Moreover, the releases carried out for hunting purposes emphasised the expansion of the species, thanks also to its high reproductive potential, the limited presence of natural predators in a considerable portion of its range, and its high ability to adapt to very different habitats (Brangi and Meriggi 2003;Bieber and Ruf 2005;Sales et al 2017;Johann et al 2020) where the species, when overabundant, could have different negative impacts.…”

Modelling the deathbed of ASF-infected wild boars in South Korea using 2019-2020 national surveillance data

“…This may be due to the enhanced surveillance for wild boars during the second study period, which induces changes in the population behaviors. Wild boars flexibly adjust their activity and home ranges to human activities, such as hunting and recreation, to protect themselves from risk (Scillitani et al, 2009; Thurfjell et al, 2013; Johann et al, 2020). Owing to intensive hunting condition, wild boars could have left their original home-range and shifted to other areas where they could hide from the hunters (Thurfjell et al, 2013).…”