I AM surprised that writers of Letters to the Editor in the Review have not realised that there are certain restrictions laid down by law for keeping wild boar or their hybrids.

Anyone can read the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and the (hybrid) Modification Number Two 2007 that are easily found on Google.

The purpose of this Act is to ensure that when dangerous wild animals are kept, they are done so in circumstances which do not create risk to the public and safeguard the welfare of the animals.

The Act definitely states that wild boar and their hybrids are categorised as dangerous wild animals. It is nonsensical for the lovers of the wild boar to say that wild boars are harmless as long as you leave them alone.

The law is the law and we must obey it. The Act also contains provision for local authorities (district councils/unitary authorities) to license their keeping and specify conditions in the licence such as minimum fencing requirements.

This Act also requires keepers to have their animals covered by a satisfactory liability insurance policy that covers any liability caused by the animals.

Failure to meet the licence conditions is an offence under the Act and is subject to a fine not exceeding £5,000.

The wild/hybrid boar recently living and breeding on Forestry Commission land have either escaped or been deliberately released, both of which are an offence under the Act.

These wild boar are now the responsibility of the Forestry Commission, on whose land they reside.

The Forestry Commission, like any other wild boar or hybrid wild boar farmer, must comply with the Act or possibly face a fine.

Several years ago, when free-running wild boar were first observed in the Forest, the Forestry Commission should have immediately taken steps to remove or enclose these wild boar and applied for a dangerous wild animals licence. The district council licensing authority should have also warned the Forestry Commission that by keeping wild boar on their land they must comply with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Unless I am mistaken, both the district council and the Forestry Commission appear to have overlooked the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, perhaps mistakenly thinking that hybrid Boar were not covered by the Act.

This has resulted in the recent predicament we are now in. These wild boar are ravaging the roadside grass verges, the forest and any property they can break into.

They have no natural enemies and have bred profusely to the extent that they have now become dangerous to the public, most noticeably when walking in the forest and exercising their dogs.

An annual selective cull of the boar will enrage the lovers of the boar and only partially resolve the problems that these free running wild boar have made.

The most sensible and lawful solution is to comply with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and either keep these wild boar in an enclosure or remove them from forestry land.

So please Mr Forestry Commission, your past inactivity has caused today's problems, it is now your lawful responsibility to fix it.

– Graham Yeates, Bream.