Wild boar to be given the pill in Beringen?

According to Beringen’s Mayor, the pill would be a humane way of dealing with the ever growing number of wild boar in Limburg. The boar have been known to cause damage to agricultural land and gardens.

"I have already told the relevant authorities to provide feeding places for the boar and to mix contraceptive pills in the food. However, I have not yet received an answer”.

The Mayor believes that as wild animals there is room for the boar to live in the wild in Limburg. However, something needs to be done to reduce their numbers.

"There are currently at lot of wild boar that are coming close to houses. This is why I would like to see the number of boar reduced"
 

Research has already been done into contraceptives for wild boar in the UK and in Australia. Here the Nature and Woodland Institute (INBO) is following the British and Australian studies closely.

INBO’s Thomas Scheppers told VRT News "In practice it all not that simple. If we mixed it into their food we wouldn’t know whether they had taken the right dose. Furthermore, other animals might eat the food and become infertile and we don’t when that to happen”.

British researchers are now trying to develop a vaccine. However, “This would have to be administered as an injection and you would have to catch the animals first to inject them before releasing them. This is more humane than having them shot by hunter. So we are looking forward to the results of the British study.