Wild boars damage more than 100 square metres of Baden park

Wild boars have churned up more than 100 square metres of grass in Baden’s Kurpark over recent weeks, ORF reported. City gardeners are repairing the damage.

According to city head gardener Hermann Zimmermann, the animals were seen in the park around eight to 10 times over the past three weeks, particularly at weekends. They dig through the lawns while searching for food.

Wild boars have visited the park before, but in recent years they usually appeared later in winter, mostly towards the end of the season. Zimmermann said the dry conditions could be contributing to the animals’ earlier arrival this year, as finding food in the forest has become more difficult.

The animals search the ground for worms and other creatures. Female boars with young are also currently out with their offspring and need more food, Zimmermann said.

Nearby vineyards are now better protected against wild boars, which means the animals may be turning to other areas such as the park. The measures are important for grape growers because drought has already made the harvest difficult, according to Zimmermann.

Hunters have responded by putting more feed at feeding stations in the forest to keep the animals away from the park. City officials do not currently plan to fence off the lawns, describing the situation as a natural process. The animals are mainly active at night, so there is little contact with park visitors.

Zimmermann said the city’s gardeners could repair the damage and expressed hope that more rain would improve food supplies in the forest, allowing the boars to remain in their natural habitat.