What to Do If a Wild Boar Is Chasing You?

Hunting wild boar is one of the highly esteemed activities. In the past, attacks of people by wild boars were rare, but due to the uncontrolled growth of late, the number has gone high, and consequently, the numbers of wild boar attacks on human beings have soared. Many cases have been reported on outdoor activities such as hiking, while the most significant number has been recorded from hunters.  

So, when you go out to hunt wild boars, you need to be more careful since the adventure can easily turn to be tragic. At times you may not notice the boar coming until it is yards away. 

How It Happens

Wild boars are known to have an incredible sense of smell. They can easily pick the sense of your scent from a distance.  You will see their noses go up in the air, trying to sniff the direction you are coming from.  

Once they get the direction, they will walk towards you, and if an adult had some juveniles, it would start chasing you to protect her young ones from you. As it charges you, it will give out a very loud grunt or a snort to warn the young ones, and the juvenile will flee away at a very high speed.  So, if not careful, you will see it in a distance that can’t allow you to run. 

What Makes Wild Boars Aggressive?

 Below are some of the recorded instances that can make a wild boar aggressive and start chasing you. 

• One of the main causes of wild boar attacks on people and other animals is when a female one is protecting her piglets.
• When they feel threatened or cornered
• When defending themselves from hunters
• People get chased by boars when they are passing or in their agricultural areas that border forests. 

Dos and Don’ts When a Wild Boar Starts Chasing You

Steps to Follow When Chased by a Wild Boar

If a wild boar chases you, be calm and climb a tree, car, or even a boulder. Boars are hoofed and thus adept at climbing. 

If you are unable to escape for there is nowhere to climb, try side-stepping. It would help if you did this very quickly to avoid a potential swing from the sharp boar’s tusks.  

If all these attempts fail to repel the wild boar, the last resort will be to physically fight back with whatever weapon you have until you scare it enough to end its mauling. You can use a stick, a gun, and even your hands if you have no weapon. If you have a firearm, try to shoot it on the head. 

While fighting back, it is prudent to watch your foot not to lose it and fall. People who fall may get injured by the ground or the objects they are carrying, making it very hard for them to fight back. When the first attack is over, wild boars usually step back to take a position for a second attack. If the victim moves, it will attack you again and end when it has made sure the vulnerable human is as good as dead. 

If a boar is chasing you and you come across other boars, you can try to make a lot of noise to scare the other boars in the area and even the one chasing you.  Noise will convince the animal that you are a more threat than them and decide to run away.  But this is not always the case. 

The Aftermath of an Attack

If you were wounded, you should seek medical attention as early as possible.  If not managed immediately, you can be inflicted by more exotic bugs.

Note: wild boars are dangerous animals.  People should stay away from them. Not only are the animals aggressive, but they are carriers of diseases, and they can easily pass them to humans. These diseases include hepatitis E and tuberculosis, and influenza A.

Don’ts When Being Chased by a Wild Boar

When people are faced with danger, they get ready to fight back or for flight. But we can never recommend running.  It is challenging for you to outrun a wild bear; it can charge you at an incredible speed.  Boars can score 40 miles per hour. Worse is that the terrain may not be in your favor. And you slip and fall; the fierce, sharp tusks will be on you. So don’t think about running for it is impossible to outrun them since even grass may make you fall.

Even if you think of jumping on a fence, a wild bear is as good. If the fence is less than 3 feet high, they can jump over.  

Boars have tusks and sharp canines that enable them to hunt other animals, kill them, and consume the meat.  There have been cases where they have found farmers on their farms and killed them. 

How to Avoid Being Chased by Wild Boars

• Avoid walking alone on foot, especially in forested rural areas with known presence of wild boars.
• Avoid walking along with dogs since they can easily provoke wild boar, leading to an attack.
• When you come across wild boar in an agricultural farm, avoid chasing it since it can easily attack you.
• In case a wild boar is injured, avoid approaching it as it can easily attack you while defending itself.
• Avoid blocking the path of running wild boar.

Conclusion

Some of the worst encounters that hikers and hunters have had include the boar charge. The reason being these wild animals are unpredictably natural predators.  So, if you are going out hiking or hunting, make sure you have adequate information concerning where wild boars are found and take the guidelines on how to escape a wild boar attack seriously.  

Don’t forget that one of the best things to do when chased by a boar is to climb a tree or something that is at least 5 feet high.