‘Feral pigs’ on the loose in national park after being ‘illegally’ set free

Rangers are battling to round up a large group of feral pigs thought to have been deliberately released in a national park.

Around 20 of the boar have been spotted in woodlands in Cairngorms National Park in Scotland recently.

A local farmers’ group said it was ‘extremely concerned’ the animals ‘could pose a significant disease risk to livestock, wildlife, and even humans’.

It warned they could spread diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth disease and leptospirosis.

‘Wild boar and feral pigs are not usually aggressive [but] they can be dangerous in certain situations.’

It comes weeks after four lynx were illegally released in the park last month, one of which died not long after they were recaptured.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority said it is ‘likely’ the pigs were also illegally released.

The animals ‘appear to be relatively domesticated’, the authority added.

Wild boar were once widespread in Scotland but became extinct in the 13th century due to overhunting and human destruction of their habitat.

In recent years their descendants have occassionally been spotted in the countryside after escaping or being deliberately released from captivity.

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