Once extinct in Britain, wild boars are quietly returning to our countryside. These powerful, intelligent animals, ancestors of our domestic pigs, now roam parts of southern England and Wales. But what are they doing at this time of year, and how have they managed to make a comeback?
Where can wild boars be found in the UK?
Today, the largest wild boar populations live in the Forest of Dean (Gloucestershire), Kent, East Sussex, and parts of Dorset and Devon. Small groups have also been spotted in Scotland and Wales, often descendants of escapees from farms or wildlife parks.
Nationwide estimates from The Woodland Trust suggest roughly 2,600 wild boar are living wild in several breeding populations across Britain.
Once native to the British Isles, boars were hunted to extinction around the 13th century. Their reappearance began in the 1990s after several animals escaped or were deliberately released. Since then, they’ve quietly re-established themselves in the wild.
According to Rewilding Britain species like the wild boar are the missing puzzle piece for many ecosystems across Britain.
What are wild boars doing in autumn and early winter?
This is one of the busiest times of year for wild boars. From October to December, females (known as sows) are searching for food to build up energy before winter, while males (boars) are competing for mates during the rutting season.
They use their strong snouts to root through the soil, flipping over grass and leaves in search of acorns, beech nuts, roots, worms and fungi. Their digging, though messy, actually helps the forest: by turning the soil they mix nutrients, aerate roots, and encourage new plant growth. At night, family groups (sounders) travel together through the woods. During the day they rest in deep leaf beds, hidden among brambles or ferns.
Are wild boars dangerous?
Although they look fierce, wild boars are usually shy and secretive. They prefer to avoid people, vanishing into the undergrowth long before being seen. However, they can be defensive, especially females with young piglets. The best advice is simple: observe from a distance and never approach.
Why are wild boars important?
Wild boars are ecosystem engineers. Their foraging helps spread seeds, break down dead wood, and recycle nutrients, much like natural tillers of the soil. In areas where deer populations are high, their rooting even helps restore balance by encouraging forest regeneration.
Their return also offers a glimpse into how Britain’s landscapes once looked, wilder, more dynamic, and full of unexpected sounds and tracks in the mud.
Did you know?
• A wild boar’s sense of smell is 1,000 times stronger than a human’s.
• Piglets are born with striped coats, which fade as they grow — a natural camouflage.
• Wild boars can run up to 25 miles per hour and jump over fences 1.5 metres high.
• The word “boar” comes from Old English bar, meaning “male pig.”
The call of the wild returns
The quiet return of wild boars is part of a larger story, one of rewilding and rediscovery. As humans, we’ve shaped so much of the land that even the snuffle of a boar in a moonlit wood feels like a whisper from a wilder past.
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