Five wild boars spotted strolling on a ‘night out’ in town

Five wild boars were spotted ‘on a night out’ as they strolled past a town centre pub.

The feral pigs were seen trotting near The Golden Lion in Cinderford, Gloucestershire, to the delight of pubgoers sitting inside.

Britain has a burgeoning boar population in areas such as the Forest of Dean – where one man had his finger bitten off by one.

The pigs there have been attacking pets, dog walkers and have even learned when bin day is – so they can come into urban areas and rummage for food.

Landlady Nikki Norman explained that it is ‘quite normal’ for the animals to roam around town due to its proximity to Forest of Dean – where they are populated.

She said: ‘Customers love it – they think it is really great.’

Boar were hunted to extinction 700 years ago but became established again in the Forest in the 1990s.

Wild boar are stocky, powerful animals covered in bristly hair that can vary from dark brown almost black in colour to gingery brown.

Though they look harmless, they’re quite powerful. A campsite was handed a £35,000 bill earlier this year after its lush green fields were ravaged by wild boars.

Bracelands in the Forest of Dean turned into a sea of mud after the feral pigs wreaked havoc in April.

Forestry England’s website says: ‘Large areas of uprooted and disturbed soil are a common tell-tale sign of wild boar presence.

‘With powerful neck muscles and a long snout which allow the animals to plough through the ground in search of food, they can turn over a large area in a very short space of time.’

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