Badenoch asked to look out for a family of wild boar near Glen Feshie
Now it’s wild boar which appear to have been released in Badenoch - exactly a month after four lynx appeared out of nowhere.
A villager near Insh told the Strathy tonight: “Wild boar are now roaming the forestry between Insh and Glen Feshie.”
It’s a compete mystery at this stage where the animals came from and clarification is now being sought from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and other authorities.
There has been no statement as yet from Highland Police or the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, which while not keeping wild boar itself might be able to help with this search as it did with the lynx - and offer advice to those who should encounter the animals.
The local observer said this evening: “The animals were spotted yesterday by a postie and other folk have seen them today.
“By all accounts these animals appear to be pretty tame, so have they been released from somewhere.”
An estimated 2,600 animals are now living wild in several breeding populations in the United Kingdom.
The largest of these is in the Forest of Dean, but wild boar are also present in parts of South East and South West England, South East Wales and North West Scotland.
One expert source we consulted said: “Wild hogs are a very challenging species to hunt. They offer excitement but pose a danger to hunters due to their aggressive nature and strength.
“Understanding the risks and how to mitigate them is important.
“If you mistakenly find yourself quite close to a wild boar, stay calm, stay facing it and slowly back away. It's the same principle as if you meet a bear or meet a mountain lion.”
It was on January 8 that the Strathy broke the story about the illegal release of lynx in the Killiehuntly area - the same vicinity as Insh and Glen Feshie where these beats have now been spotted on the loose.
All four lynx were recaptured and were said to be ‘almost domesticated’ and apparently ‘pleased’ to be found, making no great attempt to escape the experts from the RZSS sent to trap them.
One of the lynx later died but the other three are being tended safely in Edinburgh.
