wild boar piglet
Rescued by a hunter with a heart - Trüffel
Probably born in March 2025, little Trüffel met a hunter. He took Trüffel with him and dropped her off at a veterinary clinic. From then on, the search began for a species-appropriate home for the newborn.
Gut Aiderbichl has experience with wild boar and so it was decided to take little Trüffel in at Gut Aiderbichl in Carinthia. Here she now explores the surrounding nature. Her two friends are the pot-bellied pigs Lucy and Roxy. It is planned that Trüffel will join the wild boar herd in autumn.
Why has Trüffel left her nest?
We can only guess at the reason why Trüffel ran through the forest all alone. Maybe the female was shot? Perhaps Trüffel wanted to go on an adventure to discover grunting conspecifics?</span
She reminds us of Basti, the wild boar that lives at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf. Years ago, he also ran out of the forest on his own and stopped off in a large park at a romantic moated castle in Austria. The baron’s housekeeper discovered the little chap. She fed him and walks together were not uncommon. The Baron contacted Gut Aiderbichl and we built a large enclosure for little Basti.
They live in the undergrowth and cause damage
The wild boar is widespread in Europe and is one of the largest wild animals. They can weigh up to 200kg, are part of the ecosystem and play a crucial role in improving the soil and spreading seeds. Wild boars live on roots, berries, nuts, insects, worms and sometimes eat small mammals.
Wild boars are unfortunately unpopular because they have a high reproduction rate and because they cause great damage to agricultural crops.
The destruction of their habitat increases the risk of encounters
Because of their size and teeth, wild boars are considered dangerous and unpredictable. There is no such thing as a chance encounter with a wild boar. The time of year, for example, is crucial. In autumn and winter, it can be difficult to find food and so the wild boar approach human settlements, as this is also the time to build up fat reserves for the winter.
Landscape changes reduce the wild boar’s natural living room and so they are on the lookout for easily accessible food sources such as compost heaps, rubbish heaps or fields. People who feed wild boar make the animals “bolder and bolder”. They demand the food and this can lead to confrontations.
Warning signs of an encounter with wild boar
Rumpled earth as well as broken bushes and trees and footprints are a sign of a wild boar. Wild boars make noises. They snort, grunt and rustle in the leaves. Small newborns such as Trüffels suggest that the female is in the neighbourhood, protecting and aggressive.
A wild boar that is calmly looking around for food is not threatening. However, if it lowers its head and perks up its ears, it is advisable not to take these signs lightly.
The little Trüffel snorts and paws and is happy
Trüffel is only a few months old and, as is usual with pigs by nature, highly intelligent. She knows her humans’ voices and runs happily through the day with Lucy and Roxi in search of food.
Trüffel likes dogs, goats and sheep and especially Markus, manager of Gut Aiderbichl in Carinthia. He has promised her that she will be allowed to visit the wild boar cattery in autumn and spend a species-appropriate wild boar life with the wild boars Bruce, Doris, Fussel, Finni, Mercy and all the others.
Animals can't speak up for their rights, so we have to.
– Unknown
From: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
