Effectiveness of trapping in wild boar population management

• Published in: European journal of wildlife research Vol. 71; no. 4; p. 70
• Main Authors: Endo, Tomohiko, Takagi, Shun, Okumura, Osamu, Kanbayashi, Takuya, Tomaru, Seiji, Kodera, Yuuji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Data recovery; Death; Ecology; Effectiveness; Females; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management; Hunting; Juveniles; Life Sciences; Males; Mortality; Population studies; Populations; Sex; Sex differences; Sus scrofa; Trapping; Trends; Zoology; Japan; Trapping efficiency; Wildlife management; Mortality rates; Age structure; Tag recovery survey; Wild boar
• ISSN: 1612-4642; 1439-0574
• DOI: 10.1007/s10344-025-01944-1

Hunting and trapping have been used to manage wild boar populations. Previous studies have reported the sex-age class characteristics of wild boars when hunted by gun, but the details of mortality rates by trapping are unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate wild boar death trends and mortality rates based on tag recovery data to assess the effectiveness of trapping for managing wild boar populations. In Japan, snare and box traps are frequently used for hunting and culling wild boar. A sex difference in trapping death trends was observed, showing that trapping pressure was higher in juvenile and yearling males and juvenile females. The annual mortality rate by trapping was the highest in juveniles (both males and females) at 0.73, and lowest in adult females at 0.54. Our findings suggest that trapping management may be less effective in reproductive females. Therefore, a strategic population management approach that combines trapping with other management measures is required to reduce wild boar populations effectively.