READING Joyce Moss’s letter regarding the boar, she says, as many people do, that the boar do not eat lambs. I am afraid that is wrong.

One early morning my customers, who live by a field, were woken in the early hours of a morning to noises of something like screams they tell me, by lambs.

They did investigate right away. I will not go into the graphics as they did or many would be sick. I certainly felt that way.

The lambs were being eaten by some boar. As they were in a field they could not escape.

Another time I did see the sheep badger. I asked him about this, he also  told me that he could see a boar with its head down, on inspection that boar was also eating yet another of his lambs.

He was shocked and surprised as many seem to be when I talk about this.

As for the dogs. I have seen some that have been mauled by boars – one not long ago in Aylburton and that little female is now afraid to go out.

I have been told by customers of the death of their dogs when they have been thrown  in the air and badly mauled. I doubt very much that any of these people are  making this up.

I suggest residents should, like me, speak to as many people as you can regarding the boar especially those who live close to the forests. They seem to know quite a bit. 

With the amount of boar here, some are very friendly but I am worried that it may be a child that could be hurt one day and  I do keep my dogs away just in case.

I hope that helps in putting some things right about the boar – perhaps the feeding should be stopped, it may help, it may not.

– Maria Edey Coleford.