THE gruesome discovery of the severed head of a wild boar in woodland near Speech House has again raised the spectre of widespread poaching in the Forest.

Forestry Commission staff say that while the extent of the problem is almost impossible to quantify, they frequently receive and investigate reports and work closely with the police.

They urge anyone concerned by activities they consider suspicious – and especially at night – to contact the police immediately.

The severed head discovered in the centre of the Forest was found by a Cinderford man at the side of the Spruce Drive near Speech House lake. It was later collected by the Forstery Commission. They confirmed they believed the animal had probably been shot.

The Commission's wildlife manager, Ian Harvey, said most poaching was carried out at night with the obvious targets being boar and deer.

He confirmed a report that dogs were also being used to hunt animals.

The Review was told of a recent incident in which a motorist became suspicious as a group of men were seen at night near Speech House with a vehicle backed into the woods. They were loading dogs into the rear.

Mr Harvey said the likely target was to catch an animal to salvage its meat and not for the chase. A deer, he said, would simply flee while a boar would eventually turn to face its chasers.

He said census work was still on-going to try and establish the number of boar in the Forest. The last estimate put the number at between 200 and 250 though since then a number of sows had been reported with large litters.