The Wild Boar or Sanglier
The wild boar (french: sanglier) is a
large animal, up to 1.80 metres long with a 30cm tail, and
sometimes weighing more than 300kg. The short hair varies in
colour from dark-brown and grey to nearly black. The boar has
short legs, a very thick neck and a conical head / snout.
The wild boar is the ancestor of the
domestic pig, and is essentially a
nocturnal animal. Usual food is roots,
cereals, nuts, acorns, chestnuts, worms
etc
Widespread in many parts of southern
France, although not commonly seen, the
sanglier tends to inhabit forests, and
finds food both within the forest and in
neighbouring fields. More frequently you
might see the damage caused by the wild
boar - they tend to dig up and leave
bare quite a large area of ground in
search of food. They also rub against
tree trunks, leaving tell-tale damage.
Some areas of France have 'wild-boar'
enclosures. These are surrounded by 2
metre high sturdy fence (a little like
Jurassic park) and are only usually
accessed by hunters. Usually wild boar
will run away if approached, but
occassionally they can become aggressive
- particularly if there are young to
protect. A meeting with a full grown
wild boar on a remote forest path can
apparently be a very scary experience!
I also came across
this passage in a Forum:
"I never want to see another wild boar
again after having one run into me while
driving the van. It was like running
into a block of concrete. It happened at
night and the creature just dashed out
into the road as if blind. Much damage
to the van but was able to drive home.
So keep your eyes wide open while
driving along quiet country roads in the
dark."