BOAR'S HEAD NAILED TO TREE

Strange things occur in the Forest of Dean, and this week is no exception.  A wild boar head has was discovered - nailed to a tree.  Discovered, allegedly, by animal rights personnel.

(Addendum - contrary to what we were informed by The Citizen newspaper, hunt saboteurs have contacted us to say the head was found by a local resident and her child whilst walking the dog.)

Friends of the Boar were contacted by The Forester for comment, which went like this:

Dear George [Henderson],

Attached are 3 images for you.

Earlier this year I witnessed an organised dog hunt with an FC ranger.  This practice has been ongoing for maybe 2 years now.  Heads of deer are placed in cages somewhere in the public forest estate.  Dogs are then trained to scent the carcass and find it, somewhat like drag hunting for foxhounds.

Friends of the Boar have been alerted in the past by members of the public have been alarmed when finding such horrendous sights as a head of an animal in a cage.

Friends of the Boar know that the FC have been laying out dead deer for the wild boar at high chairs for many years now too, enticing the boar so they get shot.  One such deer was photographed and became an embarassment for Defra and Forestry Research, who blamed it on a researcher who should have known better.  This was when DEFRA were using remote trail cams to study the effectiveness of non-species-specific-contraception delivery devices spaced around the forest in about 2009. 

Meat left like this can be sources of disease which can be eaten by boar and spread to humans who eat the meat.

The images I send you are from 2013.  I have been told by a reputable source close to the FC that this was done by Forestry Commission rangers, who regularly take heads of boar to either use for dog hunts, or make a skull from by boiling off the flesh, and/or sell to trophy dealers.

The men in the images were a film crew for BBC Springwatch who I was showing around.  The gash to the stomach was to prevent gas bloating and to allow quick access to the carcass by scavangers such as the boar or foxes.

Please copyright the images with ©David J Slater

All the best,

Friends of the Boar

The final story was published in the Gloucester Citizen paper and went like this:

The head of a wild boar has been found nailed to a tree in the Forest of Dean.
It has been found nailed to a tree near Blakeney Hill Reservoir.

The head was put on a popular family trail, where people walk dogs, take their children for walks in the woods.

It has been reported to police and the Forestry Commission.

In response the Forest of Dean Wild Boar Cull Hunt Saboteurs have installed trail cameras at popular spots.

Here's the link: Boar Head Found

For 4 years, this has been an all too common result of the Forest of Deam local press refusing to criticise the government stooges at Bank House in Coleford.  They link the event to animal rights groups instead, without further elaboration.

Friends of the Boar supplied 3 images of a male boar that had been decapitated by Forestry Commission rangers to The Forester.  Here are two of them:

BBC Springwatch witness the decapitated boar as friends of the Boar make enquries.

Gruesome - but you need to know what the Forestry Commission under
Wildlife Manager Ian Harvey do to the boar.

Forestry Commission rangers have been known to use pet dogs to scent down wild boar.  Dogs are used across Europe as weapons against the boar, as our last post highlighted.

The Forestry Commission help hunting dog enthusiasts to hone their scenting skills, originally to hunt down deer, and now we believe to hunt boar.

Please register your complaint to your local MP, and if you live in the Forest of Dean send your concerns to Mark Harper MP.  We understand very few people will do this, but please be brave and stand out from the crowd, and do what you can to stop the Forestry Commission from continuing this disturbing practice within the Public Forest estate where your children may walk with innocent smiles.