Dispersal record of Wild boar (Sus scrofa) in northeast Spain: Implications for implementing disease-monitoring programs

Abstract

Dispersal is a useful tool for understanding the ecology of species and the spread of their diseases in wildlife. In the case of wild boar (Sus scrofa), its dispersal depends on environmental changes, food availability, population density, or hunting pressure. The goal of this study was to describe the dispersal of wild boars captured with cage-traps, anesthetized and marked with ear tags between 2008 and 2012 in Catalonia (northeast Spain). Six of 40 wild boars (16 males and 24 females) were recaptured at a mean linear distance of 45.8 km (min. 30, max. 89.8) from their origin. Surprisingly females dispersed more than males, 57.7 km in average, and a distance 1.7 times higher than her counterparts from other parts of the world. These dispersal patterns would be partially explained by the search of new territories. The impressive dispersal ability of wild boars should be taken into account in the design of health surveillance programs of wildlife diseases.