Wild boar feeding on Deer Kill

I came across this scene in Bandhavgarh National Park in 2006. I was very happy to see this as earlier, I had told my driver that I will only photograph a wild boar eating flesh. The driver and the guide were aghast and told me that wildboar doesn't eat meat. I was surprised that these fellows have been going to the forest everyday and don't have an idea about the wild boar habits. Fortunately, two days after we had this conversation, we came across this scene where a tiger had left behind a few bones, intestines and head portion of a cheetal stag (axis axis).

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) also feeds on carrion. They are also known to steal a bite when the tiger has gone to the water leaving behind a fresh kill. I have seen Spotted deer with fawns giving alarm calls when wild boar comes close to them. Ofcourse, I haven't seen a wild boar actually killing a fawn, but it is likely that given a chance they can kill a fawn as well.

Canon EOS 10D, Canon EF 300mm f4 L IS USM, ISO 100, 1/20 sec, f4.

Look forward to your comments.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Great documentation, the guide and driver must have got the shock of their lives!

Nice. It is surprising the amount of preconceived notions we have about animal behavior.

I came across simiar behaviour twice in my last trip to Pench. The first time was the most interesting. I spent an entire day with two leopards, whom we had tracked in morning following alarm calls. We first found a male leopard sitting on a rock. On seeing us it jumped down and hid in the shade below the rocks. Not more than 20 feet away from it a wild boar was feeding on a chital kill. We were the only Gypsy there and all of us, including my driver and guide were surprised at the way the leopard was letting his kill be robbed. Soon it was time for us to leave. In the afternoon we came back straight to the spot to find the leopard still lying down under the rocks, we could spot it only because we knew it was there. To anyone else, the silhouette of his right ear in the shade of his den at least a hundred yards away would have been impossible to notice even with binoculars. By now there were 3-4 boars. By the time they left it was getting late. The leopard finally came out and stretched himself on the rock and to our surprise a smaller leopardess came out and began feeding on whatever little remained of the kill! It was surprising that two leopards could be intimidated by a sounder of pigs! But as Rajan and Suresh (my driver and guide in Pench) pointed out, these were most probably adolescent siblings and not a mating pair as we had earlier guessed. So that perhaps explains their reluctance to face the boars.

The very next morning, we saw two wild boars feeding on a rotting langur carcass beside the road in a different part of the park. As we stared at them, one of the boars got nervous and ran away carrying the kill in its mouth. I'm posting an image of the boar eating the kill.

Cheers,
Aditya

As kids when we used to go for treking camps in the jungles, our Sir used to tell us that the wild boar is quite a dangerous animal and can even harm humans or kill children. Didnt know how true that was.

Thanks for the info Sabyasachi and Aditya.

nice piece of information from sabysachi and aditya...i always used to think that wild boars do eat flesh. Its easier to believe it as its teeth/tusk is quite suited to tear flesh. I didnt realise there were people who thought wild boars dont eat flesh. probably i am at the other end of the spectrum :)

I don't know about Indian wild boars, but I remember reading about a species called the African Bush Pig, which not only feeds on carrion, but a large part of its diet is made up of small mammals and birds, which it hunts by itself. No idea how it hunts.
Wild boars are very dangerous, its not surprising that they steal kills. No doubt an adult can kill an unarmed man.

Wild boar will feed on carrion when they get the chance.

Apana

About 10-15 years ago there used to be a wild boar at the animal orphanage at Pune who used to be fed on the non - veg leftovers along with his veg meals. I haven't seen a wild boar in the jungles as well built as he was!

Sharing the short film titled "Scavengers". One can see the wild boars eating from this carcass

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mrudul Godbole

As kids when we used to go for treking camps in the jungles, our Sir used to tell us that the wild boar is quite a dangerous animal and can even harm humans or kill children. Didnt know how true that was.

Thanks for the info Sabyasachi and Aditya.

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Funny thing is, our teachers never tell us how much we can harm the wild boars. Or tigers. Or leopards. Or barbets. Or any other living or non-living thing on earth.

Humans have had the most destructive impact on their own habitat and environment in the entire known universe. And we dont ever want to talk about it.

When a leopard, who is forced out of its habitat, kills a human (only majorly out of fear o rself-defence), we want to kill the leopard. When humans kill animals for body parts, they are given really loose punishments and ofen let go free.

Its about time Mother Nature had the same rights as human beings.

I fully agree. In the lion relocation issue, the Supreme Court in its recent judgment had said that we have to take an ecocentric view and not anthropocentric view. The animals do have rights. The details can be found here: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indi...ol-5-issue-iv/

Cheers,
Sabyasachi