Investigation published in European Journal of Wildlife Research

February 15^th, 2020

Assessing Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) mortality is a key for understanding population dynamics and adjusting hunting harvest and population management. We used radio-tagging and video-trapping to quantify piglet summer mortality in a managed (i.e. fenced and year-round fed) wild boar population from southern Spain. We used two independent tools to assess wild boar mortality, i.e. radio-tracking and video footage. A total of 32 wild boar piglets were captured at selective feeders acting as cage-traps, and all the piglets were equipped with ear-tag transmitters including a mortality sensor. Additionally, 20 camera traps were set up in video mode at wild boar feeders. Videos were visualized calculating the proportion of piglets seen per adult as a second indicator of piglet mortality. The survival analysis of radio-tagged individuals indicated an average survival of 48% after 180 days of capturing. Mortality was particularly pronounced in the first 2 months, i.e. during summer. Video footage evidenced a progressive decline in the piglet-to-adult ratio throughout summer. Between June and September, this ratio declined by 80.5%. Dead piglets were in poor body condition, and respiratory lesions compatible with the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) were observed in 86% of them. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) was the most prevalent pathogen (61%) in this study, and its prevalence showed an increasing trend depending on the lung lesion score. We postulate that high piglet mortality at early age might represent a disease-mediated density-dependent mechanism limiting wild boar population growth in semi-intensive management regimes, characterized by year-round feeding and fencing

Barasona JA., Risalde MA., Ortiz JA., Gonzalez-Barrio D., Che Amat A., Perez-Sancho M., Vargas-Castillo L., Xeidakis A., Jurado-Tarifa E. and Gortazar C.

Disease-mediated piglet mortality prevents wild boar population growth in fenced overabundant settings

	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio). Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Universidad de Castilla La Mancha (UCLM). Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM).
	Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO).
	Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía de Córdoba. Instituto Maimonides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba.
	Medianilla Red Deer Genetics.
	Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO).
	Servicio de Identificación y Caracterización Microbiana (ICM). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).