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Acceptance of Wild Boar Declined as Support for Electric Fencing and Hunting Rose in Flanders

Four wild boar searching for food among fallen leaves in a Belgian woodland
Conservation · Human–wildlife conflict

Public acceptance of wild boar (Sus scrofa) declined in Flanders, Belgium between 2017 and 2023, while support for management measures such as electric fencing and hunting increased. The change was strongest among residents of municipalities where wild boar were already established.

Wild boar re-established in Flanders after more than 50 years of absence. Researchers compared online surveys conducted in 2017, 2020 and 2023, separating respondents who lived inside established wild-boar areas from those outside. As the species expanded, the number of respondents living within its established range rose from 281 in 2017 to 719 in 2020 and 1,512 in 2023. These figures describe the survey sample living inside the established range, not the number of wild boar or a direct measure of population growth.

Acceptance fell while support for several management measures rose

Residents in areas with wild boar were generally less positive about the animals’ presence and more accepting of management, including lethal measures. Across the three surveys, acceptance of wild boar presence declined, particularly when people were asked about having the species in their own region. Support for electric fencing and hunting increased. Contraception also received relatively high support, although the authors note that it is not currently applicable to free-ranging wild boar, while the use of cages received little support.

Attitudes also became more divided

The researchers also found increasing divergence in attitudes, especially within municipalities where wild boar were present. They interpret this as a growing risk of polarization and argue that management and communication need to account for local differences in tolerance rather than assuming that public attitudes are uniform across Flanders.

Sources and image credit

  1. Casaer, J., & Rutten, A. (2026). Changes in public perceptions of wild boar presence and management in Flanders. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-63701-xPrimary peer-reviewed research article first published 24 July 2026. Quota-based online surveys conducted in 2017, 2020 and 2023 showed declining acceptance of wild boar presence over time, particularly among residents of municipalities where wild boar were established, alongside increasing support for measures including electric fencing and hunting. The authors also report increasing divergence in public attitudes.

Image: Four wild boar (Sus scrofa) searching for food under fallen leaves in Bois de Roly, Philippeville, Belgium, 11 December 2022. Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0. Representative Belgian species image; the animals were not part of the reported Flanders surveys. · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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