I WAS surprised to read in this week's Forester that 'the boar are taking over the Forest' as they are quite difficult to spot.

Remarks like 'if we do not cull the boar now, we humans could be ousted from the Forest' and 'the population of wild boar is exploding' need a serious reality check. I do not think either that the majority of people in the Forest are afraid to leave their homes at night for fear of being attacked by a boar! Mr Stannard, the deputy surveyor of the Forest, having been summoned to a meeting by West Dean Parish Council, had to answer these statements.

I have a question for Mr Stannard. If his shooters have only so far killed 76 boar (Sept-Nov), why does he say 400 should be shot?

The truth is that if the Forestry Commission had found more boar, they would by now have shot them as the cull this year goes up to 135. I have before me the cull figures for last year, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. A total of 110 boar were included but 32 of these were road casualties or diseased.

Some 52 were shot in September, when they were easier to find, particularly yearlings. In December and January, very few boar presented themselves to be shot.

The reason for these relatively low figures is that there are low numbers of boar in the Forest. Either this or the Forestry Commission hunters are showing massive incompetence, which I do not believe to be the case. There is also a large mortality rate among humbugs and I do not think the Forest will ever be overrun. The truth is the boar have a vociferous minority of opponents, who make the sort of remarks referred to above.

I think the smaller culls of the last two years are an improvement, though I do not personally believe in culling boar.

In 2011/12, there was a much bigger cull and many humbugs were killed. The Forestry Commission implemented a close season and reduced the cull numbers. Most of the larger boar have already disappeared. It may interest readers to know that as many boar are shot to the north of the Forest in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire on farms (FSA figures on trincinella testing) as in the Forest. This means the boar are being controlled as they leave the Dean.

If only the boar, who are more intelligent than dogs, had more human understanding. If they were not fed by people and not driven into villages by Forestry Commission activity – tree felling and hunting – there would not be so much digging in gardens and playing fields. The Forestry Commission wildly overestimates boar numbers through these activities. In fact a couple of boar, if they were so minded, could dig up verges between them from Milkwall to Parkend in one night!

I do hope that Kevin Stannard is not given a community mandate to cull more boar.

I think most people in the Forest would be against this and rest assured that the Animal Welfare lobby, said by Mr Stannard to be so powerful, will continue to make its views forcibly felt, to counter any pressure groups in West Dean.

Joyce Moss