Wild boar

About

The wild boar, or Sus scrofa, is a common inhabitant of the Carpathian forests from the foothills to beech and mixed forests. It lives in all Carpathian countries and often ventures into fields and gardens near villages, where it digs up potatoes and corn.

The wild boar is massive, with a wedge-shaped head, coarse dark-brown bristles, and a long snout. Adult males have tusks protruding from their mouths. Piglets are striped, with longitudinal light stripes on reddish-brown fur, which disappear after a few months.

Boars live in family groups: several females with young; adult males are solitary. Piglets are born mainly in spring. The wild boar is omnivorous: in autumn, its main food is beech nuts and acorns, as well as roots, tubers, worms, insect larvae, rodents, and carrion. Signs of its presence in the forest include turned-up soil and muddy wallows where the animals roll in the mud.

During the day, wild boars rest in thickets and come out to feed at dusk and at night. They are sensitive to smells and sounds, so they usually hear a person and avoid them.

The wild boar is a game species and is not listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Serbia · Poland · Hungary · Slovakia · Romania · Czechia · Austria

Mountain ranges

Maramureș Mountains, Hryniava Mountains, Chyvchyn Mountains, Little Beskids, Pădurea Craiului, Vrancea Mountains, Kučaj Mountains and Beljanica, Lesser Fatra, Sądecki Beskids, White Carpathians

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

The wild boar usually avoids people, but a female with piglets will defend them fiercely. If you see striped piglets, stop and calmly back away the same way you came; do not attempt to pet or photograph them up close. Do not approach an injured or cornered animal. Keep your dog on a leash.

Protection and rules

A game species and is not listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ