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Boaring behaviour

The nocturnal foraging activities of wild boar leave clear traces of their presence.

Wild boar spend the daylight hours hidden in dense vegetation and only emerge at dusk to start feeding. Fortunately their nocturnal behaviour leaves behind many traces that betrays their presence. Helping Janet Sumner spot them is wild boar expert, Dr Martin Golding who identify the signs. They find footprints by a muddy puddle. Wild boar were part of UK culture in the past - a source of food and symbol of bravery. There are boar hairs trapped in the bark of a tree where one has had a scratch, leaving the tree base covered in the mud the boar must have wallowed in first. Janet finds a spot to wait for the boar and puts down wheat grain to encourage them to visit. Janet is dressed to blend in with the background so as not to scare the animals off. She doesn't have to wait long. Juvenile boars turn up first, and get stuck into the food. The older, wiser adults trailing behind having first checked that the coast is clear. Then the older, dominant animals barge in and chase the youngsters away from the food. One adult is wet and looks fresh from a mud bath.

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4 minutes

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