A crop pest, accused of spreading certain diseases affecting pig farms, and often involved in road accidents, the wild boar, a victim of its prolificacy, is today unloved.
While it had become very rare in France and in most European countries until around the 1960s, the wild pig, although still subject to strong hunting pressure, has since experienced a spectacular population rebound. A robust, intelligent, and opportunistic animal, it is now even colonizing urban areas.
The reasons for this galloping population growth are multiple. They relate both to parameters considered natural, particularly climatic (generally less harsh winters in recent decades), and above all to factors directly linked to human activities, in particular changes in agricultural and forestry practices.