Wild Boar: back from extinction with a vengeance!

A few thousand years ago, the UK was exploding with Brown Bears, Wild Boar, Beavers, Lynx, and Wolves. Forest covered 60% of the UK at its peak, meaning other extant large mammals like the Wildcat and Pine Marten were widespread. Today,

This capture is by wildlife photographer Simon Spedding, 

who posts photos of wildlife on his Instagram account: 

@sssssspeds

however, the Scottish Wildcat teeters on the brink of extinction; Pine Martens have only hung on because of Conservationists, while Beavers have already gone extinct once before. Though there are tentative steps to introduce Lynx to Scotland, pretty much all our previous megafauna is extinct. 

However, a few decades ago, one species decided it had been extinct long enough: the magnificent wild boar!


After being hunted to extinction in the 17^th century, mainly through breakouts but also deliberate releases, Wild Boar are back and there’s more of them than ever! The first few sightings were reported again back in the 1990s when they were discovered by gamekeepers. Since then the population has skyrocketed to roughly 4000 boars, with over 1,600 of these living in the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire.

A woodland made of Oak meets a woodland of Pine trees 

meet in the middle of the Forest Of Dean.

Where to see them:

Whilst they’re most concentrated in the Forest of Dean (especially in Ross on Wye) there’re populations all over the UK. The second-largest of these is around the Kent/Sussex border, comprising of a few hundred animals, although there are also breeding populations in West Devon and Dorset. Recently the boars have even decided to cross the border into South Wales where there's now a healthy population, there're even some rumors of boar in Scotland.

However, it can be hard to know how reliable some of these sightings are, since Wild Boar
 are immensely powerful and expert escape artists, regularly escaping Boar Farms where they’re killed for their fur and meat to live wild.


Are Wild Boar doing too well?

Currently, Wild Boar are flourishing in the UK countryside, with some sources believing that there could be more now than there have ever been. This is partly attributed to Climate Change because, despite their tough persona, they struggled to find food during harsh historic UK winters. Now though, this poses no problem to them, as the Winters are now extremely mild, and they can happily forage all year round.

An adult Wild Boar photographed in the Forest 

Dean by wildlife enthusiast Marco Garcia

Gala.

Combined with this is that unlike before, when they would’ve been hunted by Bears, Wolves, and the young ones probably by Lynx, the boars now have no predators to keep them in check, apart from us. This is the same with deer in the UK because while they are beneficial to the ecosystem, you can have too much of a good thing in this case. When there are lots of deer, they can actually do a lot of damage, such as destroying habitats for nesting birds through over-browsing (browsing is when herbivores feed on leaves and shoots high-up).

The River Wye in the Forest Of Dean-a Wild Boar hotspot.

Over time this has sparked the debate about should we cull them? Which’s what currently happens with both deer and, (although less frequently) Wild Boar. This is done with boar to try and bottleneck the population since they regularly dig up graveyards, gardens, and any other green space where there could be food for them. Plus, there’re concerns that they’re a danger to the public. And while there have been deaths and attacks caused by Boars, with exceptions to car collisions, none of them were unprovoked.


Probably the most famous incident was when a dogwalker had a chunk of his hand bitten off by a boar in the Forest of Dean, which has fuelled a lot of people's fear towards them. However, it was likely just owing to the Wild Boars' protective nature over each other (especially when there’re piglets involved) with the females (sows) even doing false charges when they feel threatened.

This was probably the case with here, the boar saw the dog as a threat, and possibly the man since they recognize that people cull them. Then when they both got a bit too close it charged and gave the man a warning bite to say, “back off”. It probably didn't actually want to do any serious damage since they do have the capability to dish out a lot if they feel they have too.


But the good thing is they won’t go out of their way to deliberately hurt someone, and 9/10 times (probably more) they’ll just turn tail and run. And anyway, treated with proper respect I don’t think there is an aggressive animal on the planet (apart from polar Bears which hunt humans regardless). I also think that while culling them is an easy solution, there's got to be a better one out there that does less damage and pleases more people.


A bit more about Wild Boar:

However, besides hunting them and eating them, some people sadly don't think much of Wild Boar, but they are extremely intelligent animals and I think they're e.

A Wild Boars footprint-notice the two small circular

holes behind the main part of the track-they can be

handy to separatea Wild Boars track from a deers.

They’re pretty powerful animals, growing to around 1 meter tall at the shoulder, the males being recognizable from the females by having a prominent dorsal ridge, where the fur is contrastingly darker and higher. Also, unlike the females the two bottom canines of the male protrude from the mouth and grow into long tusks, reaching up to 12cm, which are used in determining social rank, and also to assist with foraging.


Their diet itself is surprisingly varied, one of the main things that have resulted in them being so versatile. They’re primarily vegetarians, eating seeds, nuts, roots, and bulbs, which they get to by using their strong, cumbersome heads to turn over huge chunks of earth. This is one of the main things to look out for when trying to find Wild Boar since they leave behind distinct lumps of mud that's been peeled back. They’re also opportunistic omnivores, eating invertebrates, eggs, baby birds, and occasionally small mammals and carrion (dead animals, like a Red Deer carcass).

An adult Wild Boar in the Forest Of Dean-running

away from people. Photo was taken by Marco 

Garcia Gala.

This’s meant that while forests are their preferred habitats, they do colonize others, and are increasingly turning up in farmland, marshes, and towns.


Breeding:

Probably one of the best times to go looking for Wild Boar is during Winter. This is because they’re crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and nocturnal, especially in Summer and Spring, when they’ll sleep through the warm weather. However, during Winter and Autumn when it’s cooler, they’re more likely to be active during the day, plus from late November-March it’s the busiest time of year for them: the rut!

Two juvenile Wild Boars playing together-photo

also taken by dfmfamily. 

This is the only time when the males (boars) aren’t solitary and come together in large groups to compete to mate. The dominant males are usually polygamous (they have several mates so prevent the younger males from mating) but sometimes shoving, biting, and charging episodes do break out, determining who gets how many females.

This picture was taken and posted online by photography 

account: dfmfamily  on Instagram of a juvenile

Wild Boar losing its stripes.

Once mated, each female incredibly creates a nest, just like a bird. She first removes some of the vegetation to make a slight depression in the ground, then piles sticks, pine needles, anything will do, on top of it up to 70cm high, before giving birth in it to usually 4-10 piglets. They’re much smaller than the adults, bearing that charismatic striped ginger and blonde coat making them resemble a mint humbug.


Why Wild Boar should stay in the UK's forests:
In many communities, Wild Boar are resented for their destructive foraging habits, which have been proven to have some negative impacts on the environment (such as reducing plants like Bluebells). Nonetheless, though, they’re also great ecological engineers, and turning over the soil has the same results in a forest as it does when gardeners do it. A lot of the time it actually increases the diversity of plants, allowing more seeds to take whilst unearthing some buried deeper underground. It also increases the speed of decay, by mixing the leaf litter in with the soil, which also supplies more food to the soil organisms, keeping the earth healthy.

Overall, while they are a bit annoying sometimes, they’re specifically designed to live in our forests and have lived with people for thousands of years in other countries, and I hope they’re here for years to come!

A female Boar and her piglets melting into the Forest

Of Dean-photo taken by Marco Garcia Gal

The New Forest Cicada: the most elusive creature in Britain?

A picture of an annual Cicada, given to me by 

Angela Medders, who posted it on her Instagram

account: beneath_the_trees_1924 if you

want to have a look

One of the most secretive creatures to grace our country, they emerge on warm, still June days to fill the air with their otherworldly calls. Now, sadly many people consider them extinct, with no confirmed sightings this Milennia, their last stronghold being the New Forest, where it's possible they're still clinging on.

What actually is a Cicada? 
Cicada is a large superfamily of medium-sized insects called Cicadas (suh-kaa-duh-s). They're well known for the loud vocalizations created by the males to attract a mate, along with their bizarre life-cycle during which they disappear for sometimes decades before re-appearing. Globally, there're around 3,000 extant (not extinct) species of them, living on every continent bar Antarctica.

Judging by this, you might think they're pretty hardy insects, however, they have little to no physical defenses against the myriad of predators that hunt them. So, to combat this, in the last stage of their life cycle, when they emerge from underground and sprout wings ready to mate, the entire generation emerge together!

They know when to emerge by constructing little turrets or holes vertically out of the ground, communicating the precise weather conditions back to them. Most species prefer warm dry weather with no wind since their calls can travel better.

So, once the weather conditions are favorable (and occur at the right time of year), they emerge. In the space of a few hours, billions of them can be present in a single woodland, blanketing the trees which they'll molt on before flying away to find a mate. And, with so many of them, their predators are overwhelmed, unable to eat them all, ensuring the majority can mate. Then with their job complete, they'll all die in a matter of days.

The New Forest Cicada (Cicadetta Montana):
However, for the UK's only native Cicada, Cicadetta Montana (The New Forest Cicada) this was futile to the threats it faced. Thankfully still found in the rest of Europe, they're a stunning member of the Cicada family. They're around 3cm in length, about as tall as a paper clip and boast a mechanical, all-black body shot through with acid orange markings and topped with a pair of huge elongated wings.

The glorious New Forest Cicada, sadly this photo wasn't taken in the New Forest

but  in Lysice, Czechia, by horalkova_photo on Instagram, an amazing 

photographer.

Unfortunately, they've faced scores of threats over the years. Habitat loss and overgrazing meant there were less suitable places for their eggs to be laid. Trampling from livestock and humans meant their vital turrets to sense the weather with were destroyed. Climate Change, as always played an especially key role, tampering with the weather, sometimes preventing whole generations from ever emerging.

Over time, these threats intensified, to the point where the Cicadas were only believed to exist in the New Forest in the UK. Unfortunately, though, the last sighting of one was in 2000, plus it was unconfirmed, with the last definite one dating back further to the early 1990s. Tragically, many people now think they're extinct.

You might agree they're extinct too since a  hoard of large, black, and orange insects perched on trees chirping must be hard to miss?

In actuality, though, there are lots of reasons why they could still be roaming the New Forest, and possibly even other wild areas around the UK, although that is less likely.

Reason 1: their strange life-cycle

A Scissor-Grinder Cicada-image

donated by Victoria Smelko who

posts pictures and information

about invertebrates on her Instagram

account: insecta.a.la.vic.

The New Forest Cicada, like many other Cicadas, emerges from its egg as a tiny larva and immediately burrows underground. Once there, it feeds on sap from the roots of certain plants, and undergoes several molts, each time getting larger and changing slightly in shape until it emerges and molts a final time into an adult.

 The reason why this is significant is that it stays underground molting and feeding on sap for up to a decade before finally emerging as an adult.

The final molt of a Cicada, after it's emerged

it'll climb up a tree to molt the last time-gaining

its wings and reproductive organs. This picture

was given to me by roena29 on Instagram, who

posts pictures of everything from Horseshoe

Crabs to Toads.

So, it's not too surprising if there's an absence of sightings for several years since they would all still be nothing but grubs crawling around under our feet! However, the last reported sighting was in 2000, and it's currently 2020. So really if this is true we should've got another wave of sightings around 2004-2010. But we didn't. Why?

One contributing factor is that, like other Cicadas, they're only active in their final winged form for the blink of an eye. Exclusively for a few weeks around June, but only when the air is warm and still enough. Although taking into account the weather fluctuations as a result of Climate Change, this period can be much shorter for some years. Another reason is...

Reason 2: They're insects, not Elephants
It might seem obvious but at the end of the day, they're only a couple of centimeters long, and if you compare that to the size of the New Forest, is it really that surprising that they've not been spotted recently? There's not much awareness about them, and every year fewer people are showing an interest in nature (who knows why!) And whilst there are people looking for them, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, made even harder by the tiny window they're active as adults.

A periodical Cicada, which stays underground as a larva

for up to a whopping seventeen years before emerging

as an adult and then dying only days later. Picture

again donated by roena29 on Instagram.

This is why the chief sign researchers look out for is actually the call of the male Cicada. Although it is very high-pitched; right at the limit of what humans can and can't hear, with most adults over 40yrs unable to hear it. However, if you're interested in doing a bit of Cicada hunting and are over 40 do not worry! because the New Forest Cicada Project has actually launched an app that uses the microphone on your phone to detect nearby and record any nearby Cicada calls.

For more information and how to download it go to http://newforestcicada.info/app/

Reason 3:This has all happened before:
Although I think 20yrs is now the record, the New Forest Cicada has disappeared a lot before. Such as during the 1940s and the 1960s, with many skeptics even claiming it to be extinct only for it to miraculously re-appear. That could be the case again now, despite our technological advances which should help us keep track of them, they're still very small insects in a huge mosaic of habitats that is the New Forest.

Moreover, there are just too many other species that have gone 'extinct' only to be re-discovered later. (These are called Lazarus species, named after the character in the New Testament who was brought back to life.) Everything from whales to bats to seabirds, there was even a species of fish called the Ceolacanth (seel-a-canth) which we all thought had gone extinct along with the dinosaurs until hundreds pitched up off the coast of South Africa in 1938.

So are they still out there? 
There is evidence out there for both sides of the debate. The main piece of information supporting their extinction is that there's not been a confirmed sighting for almost thirty years now. Assuming that the unconfirmed sighting in 2000 was false, I think that all the facts and figures we have do support that over the last 20+ years at some point the New Forest Cicada has sadly gone extinct.

Imagine walking through a deserted, silent forest then suddenly catching a glimpse

of a cluster of these things singing on a branch just above your head-lets hope

one day it happens to people in the New Forest again. Image again donated by

@horalkova_photo on Instagram. (It was for a good cause!)

However, as I mentioned, so many species have gone 'extinct' in the past before being rediscovered, even if it did take us 65 million years to re-discover them (in the case of the Coelacanth).

My personal opinion is that there are too many of these species for us to say that something is really gone forever. Plus, there are all of these unconfirmed sightings out there; it's even believed that around 2010, fresh Cicada Turrets might've been found in the New Forest. Although it is only briefly touched upon and isn't confirmed yet, you never know.

Maybe out there somewhere, in a deserted forest clearing, there are still New Forest Cicadas filling the air with their song.

What you can expect from this blog

This was written on the 22nd of April 2020-the 50th anniversary of 'Earth Day' where people come together to celebrate and pledge to protect our environment.

Tintagel Island marooned until only very recently, home to fantastic

scenery and wildlife. Sea bird colonies and rich meadows

carpet the clifftops while up to 3m long Grey Seals

inhabit the kelp forests below the waves.

A Common Adder, our only native

venomous snake. But are they

really all that bad?

This blog is going to talk in-depth about the wildlife I share my little piece of the environment with here in the UK. Although some people declared the UK 'biologically dead' years ago, it's no secret that it still hosts some phenomenal species. From White Storks, and the third-largest Eagle on Earth, to Reindeer, Beavers, and a species of feline amongst the rarest creatures on the planet. I hope to showcase it all, from the "boring" species we see every day to those some consider extinct.

A stunning female Brimstone Butterfly,

perfectly camouflaged on a small

 patch of Chalk Grassland

Having recently emerged from

hibernation, this male Slow

Worm is soaking up the

morning rays of the sun.

I'm hoping to excite you all about our stunning wildlife, and hopefully even shine a new light on our unique micro-climate. I'll also delve into what we humans are doing to it, which isn't necessarily 'fashionable', and is a turn off for lots of people, but 'if you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound' and although none
 of us, like talking about it we're putting our planet in serious danger.

So, while this isn't set in stone yet, every Monday at 3:00pm I'll post a new piece of writing about anything from how to watch wild badgers, to information about mysterious panther sightings in Cornwall. I hope you enjoy it and are inspired to have a different outlook on the wildlife right under our noses.