Impact of drive hunts on daytime resting site areas of wild boar family groups (Sus scrofa L.)

The population density of wild boar in Lower Saxony, Germany has increased enormously in the last decades. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce the density by hunting the wild boar, especially in zones of Classical Swine Fever disease (CSF). The drive hunt, which is an effective hunting method, forces wild boars to leave their daily resting sites. However, this hunting method increases the risk of animals spreading over a wider area, which leads to a greater risk of infecting other individuals with the CSF-virus.Behavioural data of nine radio-marked wild boar family groups (corresponding to ten observations) and their habitat use was analysed by telemetry. Particular attention was given to the effects of drive hunting on the selection of daytime resting sites before and after a drive hunt. On average the daytime resting range size of the different groups covered 627 ha. The observation period lasted approximately eight weeks (four weeks before and after a drive hunt). The mean resting range area was 183 ha and it increased to 299 ha after the hunt. Six wild boar groups increased temporarily the size of their resting ranges after a hunt. Three of them moved up to 6 km outside their range. The groups left their forest stands and had to cross extensive coverless farmland. Four groups reduced their resting range size. On average, the family groups became active during the night after the drive hunts.