Hunting Bushpig
SPECIES: Potamochoerus pocus
IDENTIFICATION: Predominantly brown with a mane of lighter hair. The young have white stripes on their bodies. Bushpig are dangerous animals with extremely sharp tusks and should be given a wide berth. Their tail is held down when running. Big Boars will display big bump-like warts on the nose, increasing in size with age. Older Boars also tend to turn lighter in colour, a good sigh of maturity but not a rule.
SHOULDER HEIGHT: 65-75 cm
HABITAT: Prefer living in coastal, mountainous and riverine forests, thickets, reed patches and tall grass near water.
MASS: 70-80 kg
BREEDING: Usually have between 3-7 piglets with a gestations period of 120 days.
DIET: Roots, bulbs, seeds. fruit, grasses, reptiles, insects and bird’s eggs; enjoy raiding crops. Will chew on old bones. Likes to dig in the soil just like warthogs and wallow in mud to cool down.
CHARACTERISTICS: Mainly nocturnal, the Bushpig is a gregarious but tough, no nonsense animal. It lives in large groups of up to 10 or more individuals.
Hunting bushpig can be done by hounds, baiting or by a chance glimpse of these shy animals.
