Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Diseases circulating at the wild–domestic animal interface are increasingly difficult to control due to human encroachment into wildlife habitats. Understanding the factors driving wild animals to visit livestock farms is crucial for reducing the risk of disease outbreaks with severe economic and social consequences. In this study, we quantified the contact rate at the wild boar–domestic pig interface across Europe using a large‐scale dataset of wild boar GPS tracking and domestic pig farm geolocations. We estimated wild boar contact rate with pig farms at hourly and monthly scales and analysed the influence of environmental, wild boar‐ and farm‐related variables. Across 187 tracked wild boars and 457 pig farms, we detected 3322 contact events, with a highly skewed contact distribution: only 5% of wild boars and 1% of farms accounted for 50% of all events. On average, each wild boar had 1.59 contacts per month with a given farm (95% CI: 1.33–1.85) and 2.58 contacts per month when considering all farms located within its monthly home range (95% CI: 1.62–3.53). Seasonal variation differed between sexes, with a bimodal distribution for males with contact rates peaking in March and August–September, and a slight increase in contact rate throughout winter for females. Monthly contact rate increased with forest cover, human footprint, wild boar population density and individual proximity to pig farms. Farms with more built infrastructure faced fewer contacts, and larger farms had higher contact rates. Contacts occurred mostly after sunset and around sunrise. Synthesis and applications . Our results highlight the need to incorporate wild boar spatio‐temporal behaviour and farm context into strategies aimed at reducing contact at the wild–domestic pig interface. While physical barriers and avoiding unintentional feeding remain essential, targeted measures during high‐risk periods, such as night‐time surveillance in summer and autumn, especially around large farms in wooded landscapes or areas with high wild boar density, could help reduce contact occurrence.
Source: Journal of Applied Ecology
Authors: Kevin Morelle, Elodie Wielgus, Rudy Brogi, Manisha Bhardwaj, Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes, Eric Baubet, Sonia Saïd, Alain Licoppe, Valerie De Waele, Jim Casaer, Thomas Scheppers, Milos Jezek, Petter Kjellander, Francesca Brivio, András Nahlik, Tamás Tari, Alisa Klamm, Marco Apollonio, Janosch Arnold, Maik Henrich, Marco Heurich, Stefan Suter, Claude Fischer, Stefano Focardi, Thibaud Porphyre
Institutions: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bavarian Forest National Park, University of Sassari, University of Freiburg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université de Montpellier, Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Office Français de la Biodiversité, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, University of Sopron, Landwirtschaftliches Zentrum Baden-Württemberg, University of Inland Norway, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, HES-SO Genève, Institute for Complex Systems, Lyon 1 Université, VetAgro Sup, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,610
Funders: Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Soproni Egyetem, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Česká Zemědělská Univerzita v Praze, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, Haute école Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale, VetAgro Sup, Universitatea Sapientia, Office Français de la Biodiversité, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
OpenAlex ID: W7130823146