Wild boar: prints, rooting signs and how to behave

Like deer, wild boar are even-toed ungulates: they walk on two cleaves. Their dewclaws, however, sit lower on the leg and further out. That is why they print on almost every surface, at the sides next to and behind the cleaves, wider than these. The cleaves themselves are rounder at the front than in roe deer. This creates an almost square print that is easy to tell from deer tracks.

With their powerful snouts wild boar break up the ground to find roots, grubs, worms and mouse nests. In doing so they turn over clods of soil as if someone had worked with a small hoe. In summer and in the heat they roll in mud puddles, the wallows. The mud cools them and protects against insects. Afterwards they rub themselves on nearby trees – on these rubbing trees a crust of mud remains at knee height, often with bristles.

Wild boar live in family groups, the sounders, led by experienced sows. Piglets are born mainly in spring but can appear all year round. They have light and dark lengthwise stripes. A sounder leaves many prints of different sizes on the same paths – an important sign that young are present.

The age of the signs decides how you behave. Fresh rooting has dark, moist soil, sharp edges and roots that are not yet wilted. A fresh wallow is wet and murky, with wet mud splashes sticking to the edges. Old rooting is dried and crumbly, with grass growing over it again. Fresh signs mean: the animals could be lying in cover very close by.

Wild boar rely on smell and hearing; they do not see particularly well. If you move audibly and talk calmly, they notice you early and usually move away. It becomes dangerous if you surprise them, if they have no escape route or if a dog harasses them. That is why three rules are central: do not go into the thicket, dog on the lead, always leave a way out.

In an encounter, calm is what counts. Stop, do not scream, do not run away and do not walk towards the animal. Talk calmly so it recognises you as a human, and walk slowly backwards along the way you came. If a wild boar still comes towards you, step behind a thick tree or climb onto a raised spot such as a rock. Usually the animal then runs past.

A sow with piglets is the most dangerous situation. She defends her young determinedly, even against people and dogs. Piglets look cute, but you never walk towards them, lure them or touch them. If you accidentally get between a sow and her piglets, withdraw calmly at once, if possible away from the piglets' side.

Wild boar are never fed, not even with bread scraps at a rest stop. Fed animals lose their shyness, come into gardens and settlements and can become dangerous there. Report a wild boar in a residential area or an injured, aggressive animal to the police – 110 in Germany, 133 in Austria. If anyone is injured call 112, in Austria also 144.

If you find a dead wild boar, do not touch it. Note the exact location, ideally with coordinates, and report the find to the veterinary office, the district authority or the police. The background is African swine fever: it is harmless to humans but usually fatal for wild and domestic pigs and can be carried on via shoes, vehicles and food scraps. So never leave food leftovers in nature.

Knowing wild boar signs is useful in large parts of Central Europe, including at the edge of towns: when hiking, running, cycling and walking the dog, especially at dusk. Anyone who recognises rooting and wallows can avoid or bypass areas with fresh signs and be prepared for a possible encounter.

This knowledge is not meant for tracking down wild boar or stalking them for photos. Nor does it replace help with damage in the garden: there, sturdy fences, secured compost and bins, and advice from the municipality or local hunters help. You never drive animals off yourself.

Wild boar are very adaptable. In some cities they live permanently in parks and gardens because they find food there. Their numbers have risen in many regions, partly because mild winters and maize fields provide food and cover. Accordingly you find their signs more often.

Hunting language has many words of its own: in German the rooted-up soil is called Gebräch, the snout Wurf, the trail Fährte. You do not need to know them to be safe outdoors – but they help when you read signs, books or notices from foresters.