§ Lord Hoyleasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimated number of wild boar in the United Kingdom; and [HL1327]
In which areas of the United Kingdom they believe wild boar may be located.[HL1328]
§ Lord WhittyOnly three areas in the United Kingdom are currently considered to hold small populations of free-living wild boar.
The locations and approximate number of animals involved are:
- Kent/East Sussex 100–200 animals
- West Dorset 20–30 animals
- Herefordshire 10–12 animals
In addition, small numbers of feral wild boar have also been reported around Gateshead (Tyne on Wear) and Bodmin (Cornwall), although the Cornish sounder may no longer exist.
There is no centrally held record of the number of farmed wild boar in the United Kingdom. However, in 2001 it was estimated that there were approximately 2,000 pure-bred breeding sows distributed between 100 farms.