Wild Boar
Introduction
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Indian Wild Boar is also well known to be a wild Pig resembling the domestic pig in the country region.
Wild Boar belongs to the Kingdom Animalia and Phylum Chordata, biological name to be called as Sus Scrofa Cristatus and belonging to family Suidae.
Indian wild boar is almost seen in most of the Wild life Protection sanctuaries. The quick classification of the Indian Boar is as below,
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Mammalia |
Order | Artiodactyla |
Family | Suidae |
Genus | Sus |
Species | Sus Scrofa |
Physical Structure
Indian Wild Boar having the similar Pig-like features weighs around 100 kgs by average and even some of its species would range a weight of around 225 kgs. Elongated canines are the significant difference between a Wild Boar and that of a domestic pig, and that grows upward. Spine-like hairs spread over its coat. An average measure for an Indian Wild Boar would be ranging 80 to 90 cms, and it has short legs.![Wild Boars - India](images/indian-wildboars.jpg)
Distribution and Habitat
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Indian Wild Boar is seen in most of the Wild Sanctuaries in the Indian Sub-continent.
They can be seen in small groups ranging from 5 to 6 in the interior of the forest regions. There were about seven different species found in the earlier days and now the count has declined to very small number, that only two species of its kind are found. The Indian Wild Boar is one of its kind which can be seen most widely, and the other being the Pigmy Hog which is said to be identified in the recent days and very rarely found species, that is found in the state of Assam's northern parts.
![Wild Boar Cubs](images/boar-cubs.jpg)
Places Found
Almost in many of the sanctuaries, the Indian Wild Boar can be seen since they do not have constraints for seasonal dependencies or the variation in weather conditions at different regions in the Indian Subcontinent. The following are some of the Wild life sanctuaries where these species can be widespread.![Bandhavgarh Fort](images/bandhav-fort.jpg)
![Jim Corbett National Park - Valley](images/jim-corbett.jpg)
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It is one of the most popular tourists' place. It is the house of 50 species of mammals, variety of faunas and floras.
The most common animals are Leopard, Deer, Royal Bengal tiger, Indian elephants, Para or Hog Deer, Barking deer, Wild boar, Chital, etc.
Sariska Tiger Reserve: The Sariska Tiger Reserve is a national park in India located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The park is situated at a distance of 107 km from Jaipur and 200 km from Delhi. This area was a hunting reserve and it was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. In 1978, the park was given the rank of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's Project Tiger system. The current area of the park is 866 kms. Most commonly spotted carnivores here are leopard, Bengal tiger, wild jackal, wild dog, sambhar, chital, hyena, wild cat, nilgai, wild boar, etc.
![Black Buck - National Chambal Sanctuary](images/chambal.jpg)
Food habits
![Wild Black Buck](images/wildboar-foodhabit.jpg)
Mating behavior
![Wild Boars - Breeding](images/wildboar-breed.jpg)
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Spring season is time for the female wild boars to give birth for the new cubs, and the number would certainly range from four
to six cubs and this might even extend upto a maximum of 14 cubs for bigger female boars. The littering process will be around 2 to 3 hours and the new born cubs will be under the shadow of its mother for another four to five days. Once this period is over the cubs even take their cross feeding from other female boar litters.
Population of boars in India
It is factual happening that there is a fast decline in the population of the Indian Wild Boars, which is said to be the reason that widespread rapid hunting of animals for purpose of their meat. The number of species has also come down to one or two from about five to six species at times in the Indian subcontinent. The species decline rate shows that it comes under the category of one among the vanishing species in Indian subcontinent.Sub-Species of Wild Boar
![Sus Scrofa Vittatus](images/subspecies-boars.jpg)
Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India)
Sus scrofa scrofa (western Africa, Europe)
Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan)
Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia)
Threats to Indian Boars
![Indian Wild Big Boar](images/threats-boar.jpg)
Poaching
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Poaching has been widespread for meat and mainly due to the damage done by the wild boars grazing outside the forest regions,
even though hunting wild animals are strictly prohibited by law.
Conservation effort in India
Scenarios are there showing that with permissions from authorities, hunting has been allowed for the reason that wild boars are damaging the crops. This can be widely seen in the state of Punjab. Conflicts between humans and wild boars have been adversely wide spread. Wild boars getting into the ground vegetation areas, forest plantations, agricultural crops and orchards are common destructive attacks given by them and in turn the local people make preventive measures and most of the times they hunt down the wild boars. But of late this has been reduced due to the conservation efforts made by the wild life protection authorities.Boars as a symbol in various religions:
Boars are having significant place in different religious beliefs in today's life and in historic and mythological views. It is mentioned in the history of Hindu religious writings that Wild Boar is one of the seven avatars of the Hindu God Lord Vishnu, which is the third avatar. Boars were even had as emblems in the Roman Legions.In Norse mythology Gullinbursiti which is defined as Gold Mane (after the Norse God named Freyr, who had a boar) or Golden Bristles (after the Norse God named Freyja, who had one boar Hildesvini) is believed to be a Boar. Erymanthian boar and Calydonian boar are two well known boars, hunted by Hercules and in the Calydonian hunt by other mythological heroes, respectively.
Interesting Facts
![Indian Wild Big Boar](images/indianwildboar.jpg)
Hogzila which was the name given for a Wild boar, was shot in Georgia, a sensational news in the Internet which was found to be a large wild boar by the scientists sent by National Geographic explorer.