Estimation of the Wild Boar Population in Southern Italian Apennines by Pellet Count Group Technic: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Today the development of wild ungulates represents one of the most relevant changes of the Italian wildlife in the last decades. The occurrence of damages by wild boars raised dramatically in the last decades and amounts to hundreds of thousands of Euros per year in several European countries. Knowledge of distribution, abundance and population dynamics is essential for their correct management, especially for the Wild boar (Sus scrofa) considering its impact on the natural and agricultural ecosystem. This paper proposes an estimate of the wild boar population in a study area, located in the south / south-eastern part of the Italian Apennines. The census technique was planned through field inspections and cartographic elaborations using GiS software and the Pellet Count Group technic. The data of the Pellet Group discovery were marked on special field cards. 7.010 linear meters and 14.020 m² were crossed; 12 Pellets Group were found. From this database and knowing the extent of each specific habitat it was detected the presence of about 7/8 animals per 100 ha. These densities, projected by the number of hectares of each analyzed habitat, indicate a presence of animals ranging between 187 and 164. Considering that, the optimal density for the study area would be about 47 animals per 100 ha, this means that the real density exceeds considerably these values. Therefore, the population within the Park should be reduced through a set-up of a real census plan deriving from different types of census repeated over several years.