I’m perfectly content with finding only the tracks of wild boar on yesterday’s run, rather than stumbling across the boar (Sus scrofa) themselves. This is one of those cases where I am glad to live in an area that boasts plenty of wildlife, including the large and aggressive sanglier, but I’d prefer to view them only at a distance while they are still on the hoof. In any case, my hope is that my super-bright, unnaturally pink and orange running jacket will keep both the boars and their hunters at a safe distance from me.
Wild boar populations are said to be robust in our area, and given that I’ve seen a couple of large sounders of boar in suburban areas over the past few years – fortunately, from the safety of my car – I can imagine that there are far more of them higher up in the Jura mountains.
Impressive what a small group can do to a planted field, and probably in a very short span of time. I’ve read that the fields are attractive during wet winter months, when the boar snout around in them for easy insects and worms.