The rapid growth of the wild boar population has slowed down. Luke says that last year hunters caught around a thousand pigs. The number fell by a quarter from 2021. Animal sightings have also fallen.
The wild boar population in Finland has started to decline.
According to a recent estimate by the Natural Resources Institute Finland, there were about 2 500 wild boars in Finland in January. This is an average figure, as estimates vary from 1 600 to 4 000 pigs. However, the population trend is downwards.
Last year, both the number of pig sightings by hunters and the number of catches decreased. This is thought to be due to the snowy winter, as pigs do not thrive in arctic conditions.
The newcomer species that spread to Finland from Russia is still mostly found in eastern Uusimaa and southeastern Finland.
According to Luke’s prevalence maps of 2022, in North Karelia, wild boars live in the entire region of the province, there are densities in Central Karelia. In Pohjois Savo, wild boars are found mainly in Ylä-Savo and the eastern part of the province.
We want to keep the population under control, because wild boars cause damage to crops and spread the deadly distemper, African swine fever. Swine fever, which infects production animals, has already been found in Finland’s neighboring regions in Estonia and Russia.
Luke has been collecting pig sightings and catch data from hunters since 2017.