THE NUMBER of wild boar on Forestry Commission land increased by more than 400 in the 12 months up to April last year, according to official estimates.

And, as this graph compiled by the Review from official figures shows, the number has doubled in five years – despite an annual cull aimed at bringing down the population to a more ‘sustainable’ level.

It is estimated that there are 1,635 feral wild boar on land managed by the Forestry Commission.

It is an increase of 430 on the previous year’s estimate which had showed an unexpected drop in numbers.

The commission’s most senior officer in the Dean, Deputy Surveyor Kevin Stannard, said an ‘optimistic’ reading of the figures would conclude that the population is stabilising.

Mr Stannard was giving his annual report on boar in the Dean to the Forest Council’s overview and scrutiny committee.

He also revealed that the repeated calls for a by-law to stop people feeding the boar was unecessary because it is already an offence.

The survey also found that the number of boar killed in road accidents had risen slightly during the period to 135.

Between March 21 and April 11, researchers went out at night – when boar are most active – with heat detection equipment to come up with the estimate.

The survey is the only one of its kind in Britain.