Demands for cull as feral pigs cause havoc and heartbreak above Loch Ness
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Residents in a community overlooking Loch Ness are demanding action over growing numbers of wild boar which are wreaking havoc.
They say the animals have been responsible for killing sheep, destroying grazing land and damaging other ground and gardens.
Other residents are fearful of going out at night in case the animals become aggressive while there are concerns that someone will be hurt one day.
They are now calling on the Scottish Government to step in and help.
But national agency NatureScot says the responsibility for dealing with the animals – which it calls feral pigs – lies with individual landowners.
Catherine McLennan, who runs the family 100-acre farm above Loch Ness, believes there are up to 5000 wild boar roaming the area.
"There needs to be more culling and more monitoring," she said.
"There needs to be more communication with the Scottish Government."
Miss McLennan said there had been attacks on her sheep in recent years.
"I had 150 sheep but I had to get rid of them," she said.
"I was getting sick of finding them dead and stripped to the bone.
"That is so heartbreaking."
She still keeps cattle but said the damage caused to grazing by wild boar rooting for food meant she had to buy in extra cattle feed.
"As a farmer, I should not have to do that," she said. "I should be able to let the animals get out.
"It is all extra money."
Local resident Peter Jamieson said in the last year alone, 40 wild boar had been shot on his land.
"We have been so concerned and distressed with their activity around here, we have had to put a shooter on to the ground to keep the numbers down," he said.
"What concerns us is that people refer to them as feral pigs.
"They are not. They are 100 per cent wild boar."
He and his wife, Olga, who moved into the cottage in 2018, noticed small holes starting to appear in the ground about four years ago.
Initially, they were unconcerned, given the varied wildlife around their home.
"You expect that sort of thing when you live out in the wild," he said.
"What we then noticed was unusual droppings starting to appear over a period of time – a friend of mine said it was a wild boar
"Then one morning I woke up, got into my car and saw my front lawn.
"It was as though someone had been in with a JCB."
He has seen them close to his home while one which was recently shot on his land was estimated to be up to 190 kilos.
Mr Jamieson said wild boar could be very aggressive and he will not go out after dark with his dogs.
He also feared that one day someone could be hurt especially as the area is popular with walkers.
"It is impacting on our lives in the sense we have identified a problem which is a growing problem," he said.
"Our pleas have been falling on deaf ears.
"We want the government to accept there is a big problem here and for some culling or control to be put in place."
Local residents believe the population of feral pigs causing problems for residents originated from a group of about 30 wild boar which escaped from a property near Invermoriston about 2013.
NatureScot said wild boar can interbreed with domestic pigs, and it believes many illegally-released pigs in Scotland are hybrids between wild boar and domestic pigs or breeds of hairy pig.
It refers to all free-ranging pigs living in the wild in Scotland as "feral pigs".
"In Scotland, there are at least four separate breeding populations of feral pigs, located in Lochaber, Dumfries and Galloway and Ross-shire," a spokesperson said.
"We estimate the total population in Scotland may have reached the low thousands.
"In Scotland, the primary responsibility for managing feral pigs lies with individual land managers.
"NatureScot has developed new best practice advice to help land managers to control feral pig populations safely and humanely."
Feral pigs breed prolifically and, if uncontrolled, their rooting behaviour can cause damage to the environment and to property.
In particular, they pose a major threat to agricultural crops and pig farms and may undermine efforts to control future outbreaks of animal disease.
If their numbers increase, they will also present a road collision risk.
A statement issued by the Scottish Government said it fully understood the threats posed by feral pigs, and their impact on agriculture.
It stated anyone who had concerns should, in the first instance, contact NatureScot which would be able to provide advice.
