WILD boar - a species which has no natural predators in Britain - are back into the New Forest almost 700 years after extinction on these shores.

Experts say there is little doubt the potentially-dangerous animals will establish a colony in Hampshire within the next ten years - and some claim they could be here already.

Their numbers could grow so large that even wildlife champions say controlled culling is the only way to stop them spilling into towns and villages.

The revelation comes after a wild boar was shot dead last week after straying too close to a primary school in Gloucestershire.

The animal was shot by Forestry Commission rangers because it was acting aggressively and the incident sparked calls for a cull of the animals in the Forest of Dean, amid fears that population numbers may spiral out of control.

Wild boar are the largest mammals in Britain and grow up to one metre high and weigh 150kg. When cornered they can attack and can cause serious injury with their tusks.

Wildlife expert Derek Gow said that with the boar migrating towards us from Dorset in the west and Sussex in the east it was inevitable they would arrive here shortly.

"For a big animal they are very shy and they will be somewhere long before they become a commonly seen animal, so it's not unlikely that you might have wild boar in the New Forest and not even realise it," he said.

It is believed wild boar became extinct in Britain in the 13th century because of over-hunting. Attempts to reintroduce the animal about 200 to 300 years ago failed.

The last one seen in the New Forest was shot by a hunter in the 1800s, but there have been numerous unconfirmed sightings in recent years. The new population are the wild descendants of escaped animals bred in captivity for their meat.

A spokesman from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said there was some conjecture over whether there was already boar roaming the forest.

However, Dr Michael Golding from British Wild Boar, a group that collects sightings of the mysterious animal, had little doubt.

He said: "I have heard of sightings in the New Forest, perhaps they have just confused it with a roaming domestic pig, but some people swear blind that they've seen wild boar.

"The New Forest will be prime territory for the wild boar and once they get in it will be difficult to get them out. They have no natural predators as no longer do we have wolves and lynx so the only thing to stop their spread is to shoot them."

Boar would in fact boost the Forest's ecology as they fertilise soil when they churn it up. However, the problem is when they spread onto farmland and come into contact with domestic animals. Another concern is that they could stray into towns and cities, much like an urban fox, and come into contact with humans - as happened last week.

Mr Gow added: "One situation that wild boar are a real problem are if you are taking your dog for a walk, because as far as the boar is concerned the dog is a wolf and they are protecting their piglets.

"Another is if you're coming back from a pub at night and you hit one. If you go to see what you've hit and you've only stunned it then it's likely to get up and gore you.

"Also if you're hunting and you don't kill it properly it's likely to get up and have a go at you, they are big, strong animals and they can absorb much more than a deer can.

"If they do stray into a garden or a school yard they are just being inquisitive, they are not going to kill your children. You have got to be rational about it, there is a population of hundreds of thousands of wild boar in France and do people worry about them in the streets? I don't think so."

The Government is due to release its new policy to deal with the spread of the boar and it's expected boar hunting licences will be issued in the near future.

Dr Golding said he would welcome such a move, but said hunters would have to be highly skilled.

He added: "What worries me is that a person will shoot a wild boar and not kill it, because an injured wild boar is a dangerous animal.

"So if you're going to kill one you need to know how to do it properly. It takes a big bullet to stop one.

"My advice if you see one is to stay calm because 99 times out of 100 the wild boar will run away because they are scared to death of people.

"Wild boar have a right to be here, it's just a matter of how we deal with a potentially-dangerous animal. In this country we are not used to living with a potentially dangerous wild animal so it's a bit of shock for us."

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