# Wild Boar — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1758)*

> The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a Least Concern suid native across Europe, Asia and North Africa — ancestor of the domestic pig, widespread from Pakistan to Indonesia and increasing across Europe.

**IUCN status:** Least Concern (IUCN)  ·  **WARN range:** Europe, Asia, North Africa, introduced worldwide

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Weight | 50–200 kg (males larger) |
| Social unit | Sounder — matriarchal female group |
| Diet | Omnivorous — roots, fruit, invertebrates, carrion |
| Distinctive feature | Tusks — lower canines in males |
| Domestic ancestor | All domestic pig breeds descend from wild boar |
| CITES | Not listed |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Artiodactyla
- **Family:** Suidae
- **Genus:** Sus
- **Species:** Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1758)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Least Concern (IUCN, 2018). Stable or increasing globally.
- **Population:** No global count; hundreds of thousands in Europe; widespread across Asia
- **Trend:** Increasing in Europe; stable across most of Asia
- **Assessed:** 2018
- **CITES:** Not listed under CITES

## Key facts: Wild Boar
- Wild boar are the ancestor of all domestic pig breeds worldwide.
- Sounders are matriarchal groups of females and young led by an older sow.
- Male boars develop sharp lower canines — tusks — used in dominance fights.
- Wild boar root soil, creating disturbance that benefits some plants and invertebrates.
- Populations are increasing across Europe after decades of legal protection.
- In Malaysia and Indonesia, wild boar are native forest species and bushmeat targets.

## An ancestor with global reach
Wild boar belong to the family Suidae alongside warthogs, babirusas and pygmy hogs. Sus scrofa is the only suid native to Europe and much of Asia. Domestic pigs descend from wild boar domesticated roughly 9,000 years ago in Anatolia and China. Sixteen subspecies are recognised across the native range.

Boars are stocky, bristly animals with a cartilaginous disc on the snout used for rooting. Coat colour varies from black to reddish-brown to striped in piglets. Males develop prominent lower canines that curve upward — tusks used in ritualised fights during the rut. Adults weigh 50–200 kg; males exceed females substantially.

The species ranges from the British Isles and Scandinavia through the Middle East, Pakistan, India, South-east Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia to Japan and Taiwan. North African populations persist in Morocco and Tunisia. Introduced feral pigs occur in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand.

## Sounders, rooting and ecology
Wild boar society centres on sounders — matriarchal groups of related females and their offspring. Adult males are solitary outside the breeding season, joining sounders during the rut. Females give birth to striped piglets in a nest of vegetation; the sow defends young aggressively against predators including wolves, leopards and tigers.

Rooting behaviour — turning soil with the snout disc — is ecologically significant. It aerates soil, exposes invertebrates and seeds, and creates wallows that hold water for other species. In European forests, boar rooting increases plant diversity by disturbing dominant species. In agricultural landscapes, the same behaviour damages crops and draws farmer persecution.

Boars are omnivorous, eating roots, tubers, acorns, fruit, earthworms, insects, eggs, small vertebrates and carrion. They visit salt licks and mineral-rich soil. Nocturnal and crepuscular activity patterns help avoid human disturbance.

## Range, hunting and bushmeat
In Europe, wild boar were hunted to near extinction by the nineteenth century before legal protection and reintroduction restored populations. Germany, France and Poland now hold hundreds of thousands of boar. Vehicle collisions and regulated hunting manage numbers in some regions.

In South Asia, wild boar range across Pakistan, India and Nepal in forest, scrub and agricultural margins. They are a major prey species for tigers and leopards. Crop raiding generates conflict with farmers; retaliatory killing and snaring persist.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, wild boar inhabit rainforest and forest edge. Hunting for bushmeat is widespread — boar meat is valued in rural communities. Sustainable hunting can coexist with conservation when protected areas maintain source populations. In Brazil and Colombia, feral pigs of domestic origin — not native Sus scrofa — damage crops and spread disease to native wildlife.

## Conservation and management
The IUCN lists wild boar as Least Concern with a stable or increasing global population trend. European populations are expanding northward, aided by milder winters and agricultural food sources. Wild boar are not listed under CITES.

Management challenges differ by region. In Europe, debate centres on hunting quotas, crop damage compensation and disease — African swine fever outbreaks in eastern Europe threaten both wild and domestic pigs. In Asia, maintaining forest habitat and reducing indiscriminate snaring benefit boar populations and the predators that depend on them.

Feral pig control in the Americas and Australia is a separate issue from native wild boar conservation. Preventing domestic pig releases and managing feral populations protects native ecosystems in WARN partner countries Brazil and Colombia.

## Related WARN guides — pigs, predators and forest
Wild boar are primary prey for tigers, leopards and wolves — species covered in WARN's big cat and canid guides. In Indonesia and Malaysia, boar share rainforest with orangutans and clouded leopards.

WARN's tapir and peccary guides cover other forest ungulates in Brazil and Colombia. Feral pig damage in South America illustrates the risks of domestic animal releases — a message relevant to exotic pet and livestock management worldwide.

Readers searching 'wild boar' in Pakistan and South Asia will find overlap with leopard and jackal ecology in shared scrub and forest landscapes.

## What WARN does
WARN works in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia and Indonesia where wild boar and feral pigs interact with forest ecosystems, bushmeat trade and agricultural conflict. This wild boar guide is free public education about a globally widespread suid.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Wild Boar
### Are wild boar the same as domestic pigs?
Wild boar (Sus scrofa) are the wild ancestor of domestic pigs. Domestic pigs descend from boar domesticated roughly 9,000 years ago. Feral pigs are domestic pigs living wild.

### What is a sounder?
A sounder is a matriarchal group of wild boar — related females and their offspring led by an older sow. Adult males are usually solitary outside the breeding season.

### Are wild boar dangerous?
Wild boar generally avoid humans but can charge if cornered or if a sow defends piglets. Males have sharp tusks capable of serious injury. Most incidents involve dogs or hunters.

### Are wild boar endangered?
Wild boar are Least Concern with stable or increasing populations globally. European populations are expanding after decades of protection and reintroduction.

### Where do wild boar live?
Native wild boar range across Europe, Asia and North Africa from Britain to Japan, including Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Feral pigs occur in the Americas and Australia.

### What do wild boar eat?
Wild boar are omnivorous, eating roots, tubers, acorns, fruit, earthworms, insects, eggs, small vertebrates and carrion. They root soil to find underground food.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Sus scrofa](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41775/45216617)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — wild boar](https://www.britannica.com/animal/wild-boar)
- [Woodland Trust — wild boar](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/wild-boar/)

---
Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/wild-boar