The history of wild boar dates back to over 11 000 years ago in Sweden. They became extinct but were reinstated on wild boar farms. Escapes from these farms in the 1970s and 1980s established a rapidly increasing population, mainly in the south of Sweden. In most parts of Europe the wild boar populations have been growing since the 1970s. According to the hunting statistics of the Swedish Hunting Association the wild boar strain doubled in less than three years in Sweden during the 2000s. Managing the wild boar population through driven hunt is essential.
As the wild boar population grows stronger, the number of traffic accidents with the animals increases. Wild boar are also susceptible to diseases, especially if the population is too dense. The most serious is swine fever, which can also infect domestic pigs (but not humans). Wild boar have a habit of damaging crops and the managing of wild boar through hunting helps preventing them from destroying agricultural land. The collaboration between hunters and farmers is an important effort to avoid extensive problems. It is a fact that current levels of recreational hunting are insufficient to limit the wild boar population growth. The relative impact of hunting on wild boar mortality has decreased and is currently not enough to prevent the expanding population with increasing negative impacts.
Even though we need to manage the wild boar strain, wild boar hunting should be conducted with high ethics, just as with all hunting. The care we give to the wild animals, the way we conduct the hunting itself, the way we kill the animal and how we treat the killed game, that is contained within the concept of hunting ethics. Hunters see the game as a resource to be managed with a long-term perspective.
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