Update on the wild boar at Dundreggan, February 2010 

We have now received the final report from the vet who carried out the post-mortem on one of the young boar that died during the very cold weather in January. The cause of death was diagnosed as being porcine dermatitis and nepropathy syndrome (PDNS), a disease which affects young domestic pigs. This pre-existing condition is thought to have made the animal susceptible to pneumonia, particularly during the severe weather conditions, and this combination proved to be too much, causing the two young animals to die.

While we are sad and disappointed to have lost two of the young boar, we're happy to report that the remaining four boar are all in good health. With the snow now gone, they are able to root around in the soil again, and are making a visible difference to the ground in some parts of their woodland enclosure.

As we've previously reported, the boar are usually accompanied by one or more robins, which take advantage of the ground disturbance made by the boar to look for worms and insect larvae. The robins have now been joined on some days by dunnocks, which are more cautious and will wait for the boar to move on before going down on the ground to look for food.

Alan Watson Featherstone

 

Adult and young boar, amongst the birch trees.	Here's looking at you! - Close-up of one of the boar.	Boar drinking water from a puddle in their enclosure.
With the snow gone now, the boar can feed again on the rhizomes of the abundant bracken in the enclosure.	Keeping an eye on the boar - this robin is watching their every move, to spot any worms that are exposed.	Dunnock in the snow, feeding in an area disturbed by the boar.

Pages about Wild boar on this site

• Wild boar - Species Profile
• Update on the wild boar at Dundreggan - February 2010
• Update on the wild boar at Dundreggan - January 2010
• Wild boar released into enclosure at Dundreggan - November 2009
• Wild Boar arrive at Dundreggan on YouTube
• Wild Boar at Dundreggan Appeal - November 2008
• Video: The Guisachan Wild Boar Project - a short video clip (6.7 mb) about this partner project, situated just outside Glen Affric
• Results from the Guisachan Wild Boar Project - May 2008
• Rooting for Regeneration - Guisachan Wild Boar Project update, November 2006
• Wild boar project takes root(s), literally! - Guisachan Wild Boar Project update, November 2005
• Guisachan Wild Boar Project - May 2004
• Mythology and Folklore of the Wild boar

Pages about Dundreggan on this site

• Dundreggan home page
• Become a Friend of Dundreggan
• The Dundreggan Estate - the perfect site for forest restoration. Management plan in brief.
• £1.65 million Dundreggan deal a milestone for Scotland's Caledonian Forest
• Our purchase of Dundreggan is complete, at last - August 2008
• Dundreggan News: articles from 2006 to the present
• First impressions of Dundreggan's potential for forest restoration
• Biodiversity on Dundreggan - First impressions, August 2006
• Biodiversity on Dundreggan
• The History of the Dundreggan Estate