Boar

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The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. It is native in woodlands across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is in the same Suidae biological family as the Warthog and Bushpig of Africa, the Pygmy Hog of northern India, Babirusa of Indonesia and others.

The wild boar became extinct in Great Britain and Ireland by the 17th century, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, particularly the Weald, following escapes from boar farms.^[1]

[edit] Wild or feral

The difference between the wild and domestic animals is largely a matter of perception; both are usually described as Sus scrofa, and domestic pigs quite readily become feral. The characterization of populations as wild, feral or domestic and pig or boar is usually decided by where the animals are encountered and what is known of their history. In New Zealand for example, wild pigs are known as "Captain Cookers" from their supposed descent from liberations and gifts to Māori by explorer Captain James Cook in the 1770s.^[2]

The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since boar or wild boar refers to the species itself.^[3]

One characteristic by which domestic breed and wild animals are differentiated is coats. Wild animals almost always have thick, short bristly coats ranging in colour from brown through grey to black.^{[citation needed]} A prominent ridge of hair matching the spine is also common, giving rise to the name razorback in the southern United States. The tail is usually short and straight. Wild animals tend also to have longer legs than domestic breeds and a longer and narrower head and snout. European adult males can be up to 200 kg (sometimes up to 300 kg in certain areas, particularly Eastern Europe) and have both upper and lower tusks; females do not have tusks and are around a third smaller on average.

A very large swine given the name Hogzilla was shot in Georgia, USA in June 2004.^[4] Initially thought to be a hoax, the story became something of an internet sensation. National Geographic Explorer investigated the story, sending scientists into the field. After exhuming the animal and performing DNA testing it was determined that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic swine.^[5]

[edit] Habits

Wild boars live in groups called sounders. Sounders typically contain around 20 animals, but groups of over 50 have been seen. In a typical sounder there are two or three sows and their offspring; adult males are not part of the sounder outside of a breeding cycle, two to three per year, and are usually found alone. Birth, called farrowing, usually occurs in a secluded area away from the sounder; a litter will typically contain 4-6 piglets.^{[1](p. 6)}

The animals are usually nocturnal, foraging from dusk until dawn but with resting periods during both night and day.^{[1](p. 4-5, 8-9)} They eat almost anything they come across, including nuts, berries, carrion, roots, tubers, refuse, insects, small reptiles--even young deer and lambs.^{[1](p. 9-10)}

Boars are the only hoofed animals known to dig burrows, a habit which can be explained by the fact that they are the only known mammals lacking brown adipose tissue. Therefore, they need to find other ways to protect themselves from the cold. For the same reason, piglets often shiver to produce heat themselves.^[6]

If surprised or cornered, a boar (and particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young vigorously. The male lowers its head, charges, and then slashes upward with its tusks. The female, which is tuskless, charges with its head up, mouth wide, and bites. Such attacks are rarely fatal to humans, but severe trauma and blood loss can easily result.

[edit] Subspecies

Sus scrofa has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas:

• Sus scrofa scrofa (western Africa, Europe)
• Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan)
• Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India)
• Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia)

[edit] Mythology and religion

In Greek mythology two boars are particularly well known. The Erymanthian Boar was hunted by Hercules as one of his Twelve Labours, and the Calydonian Boar was hunted in the Calydonian Hunt by dozens of other mythological heroes, including some of the Argonauts and the huntress Atalanta.

In Celtic mythology the boar was sacred to the goddess Arduinna^[7][8], and boar hunting features in several stories of Celtic and Irish mythology. One such story is that of how Fionn mac Cumhaill ("Finn McCool") lured his rival Diarmuid Ua Duibhne to his death - gored by a wild boar.

The Norse gods Freyr and Freyja both had boars. Freyr’s boar was named Gullinbursti ("Golden Mane"), who was manufactured by the Sons of Ivaldi as a gift to Freyr. The bristles in Gullinbursti’s mane glowed in the dark to illuminate the way for his owner. Freya rode the boar Hildesvini (Battle Swine) when she was not using her cat-drawn chariot. According to the poem Hyndluljóð, Freyja concealed the identity of her protégé Óttar by turning him into a boar. In Norse mythology, the boar was generally associated with fertility as well as a protective talisman in war, due to the animal's sometimes fierce nature.^{[citation needed]}

In Persia (Iran) during Sassanid Empire, boars were respected as fierce and brave creatures and the adjective "Boraz (Goraz)" meaning Boar was sometimes added to a person's name to show his bravery and courage. The famous Sassanid spahbod, Shahrbaraz, who conquered Egypt and the Levant, had his name derived Shar + Baraz meaning "Boar of the Kingdom"

Three boars are seen on the Grimsby coat of arms.

In Hindu mythology, the third avatar of the Lord Vishnu was Varaha, a boar.

In Chinese horoscope the boar (sometimes also translated as pig), is one of the twelve animals of the zodiac, based on the legends about its creation, either involving Buddha or the Jade Emperor.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Heraldry and other symbolic use

The boar and a boar's head are common charges in heraldry. A complete beast may represent what are seen as the positive qualities of the boar, namely courage and fierceness in battle; a boar's head may represent hospitality (from the custom of serving the boar's head in feasts), or it may symbolise that the bearer of the arms is a noted hunter. ^{[citation needed]}

Scottish Highland Clan Campbell uses the boar on its badge to symbolize courage and fierceness. The chiefs of clans Gordon, Nesbitt and Urquhart similarly uses three boars' heads on their coat of arms. The wild boar was a symbol of Richard III of England.^[9]

However boar charges also lend themselves very well to canting (heraldic punning). The German towns of Eberbach and Ebersbach an der Fils, both in Baden-Württemberg, and Ebersbach, Saxony use civic arms that demonstrates this. Each depicts a boar - Eber in German (and in two cases a wavy fess or bars meant to represent a brook - Bach in German).

In Belgium, the wild boar is the symbolic animal of the Ardennes forests in the south of the country, and is the mascot of one of the Belgian Army's premier infantry regiments, the Chasseurs Ardennais, the soldiers of which wear a boar's head pin on their beret.

[edit] Hunting

A full sized boar is a large strong animal armed with sharp tusks which defends itself strongly; so hunting has often been a test of bravery.

Historically, boar hunting was done by groups of spearmen using a specialized boar spear. The boar spear was fitted with a cross guard to stop the enraged animal driving its pierced body further down the shaft in order to attack its killer before dying. Specialized boar swords were also used in boar hunting, and also large hunting dogs, which would usually be equipped with heavy leather armour. See also medieval hunting.

In Persia aristocratic hunters used elephants to chase the boars and encircle them in marshland. The hunter would then use a bow to shoot the boars from a boat. Elephants carried the bodies to the hunting camp. The rock reliefs of these scenes have remained largely intact in Taq-e Bostan.

In India, hunting from horseback, called pigsticking, was popular among the Maharajas, and with British officers during Victorian and Edwardian times.^[10] Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement wrote a book on the subject.^[11]

Currently wild boars are hunted both for their meat and to mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. It has been said that one "only gets one shot" at a charging boar, because its hide is quite thick, its bones are quite dense, and anything less than a "kill shot" will allow the boar to continue its charge, which it will: hunters have reported being butted up into trees by boars that have already taken a glancing shot.

Generally dogs are used, sometimes now wearing Kevlar vests, to track and subdue their quarry. These dogs are loosely divided into two categories, bay dogs, and catch dogs.

Bay dogs harass and harry the boar, keeping it cornered in one place, while intensely vocalizing. This behavior is known as "baying" or keeping the boar "at bay". The bay dogs vocalizing alerts the hunter(s) to the bay, and the dogs maintain a slight distance from the boar allowing the hunter(s), once caught up, to dispatch the boar with a well placed rifle shot. Bay dogs are typically Cur dogs such as the Leopard Cur, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Blackmouth Cur, Catahoula) and trailing scent hounds such as the Walker Hound, Foxhound, Plott Hound).

Catch dogs physically take hold of the boar, typically seizing the base of the boar's ear. Once the catch dogs have physical control of the boar, they will hold it down by the head indefinitely until the hunter arrives. The hunter then comes in from behind the boar, and dispatches the boar with a knife or spear. Catch dogs are typically "Bully" breeds such as the Bulldog, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull Terrier) and other molossers such as the Dogo Argentino, Cane Corso and smaller Mastiff crosses).

In several countries such hunting is a very popular recreation.

It is known as "pig hunting" in Australia and New Zealand^[12] In these two countries the "baying" of the dogs is colloquially referred to as "bailing".^[13] Popular "pig dogs" in Australia include Staghounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhound crosses, various Terriers, and purpose bred crosses.

It is known as "hog hunting" in the South of the United States.^[14] Popular "hog dogs" in the U.S. include Blackmouth Curs, Catahoulas, Pit Bulls, Walker Hounds, and purpose bred crosses.

The Weiser Weight and Tusk Trophy Wild Boar Record Book records hunting records by the "Weiser Weight & Tusk" scoring system or "WWT."^[15] The scoring system works focuses on body weight and tusk size.

[edit] Commercial use

The hair of the boar was often used for the production of the toothbrush until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s.^[16] The hair for the bristles usually came from the neck area of the boar. While such brushes were popular because the bristles were soft, this was not the best material for oral hygiene as the hairs were slow to dry and usually retained bacteria. Boar hair is also used in the manufacture of the boar bristle hairbrush. Boar bristles continue to be used in the manufacture of premium dart boards for use with steel-tipped darts: a large quantity of bristles are aligned parallel to each other and compressed in a circular band of steel to form the board.

Boars are sometimes farmed for their meat. Boar meat is eaten as food in several countries. Wild boar meat consumption has been linked to transmission of Hepatitis E.^[17]