Balancing Effectiveness and Ethics: Global Systematic Review of Sus scrofa Population Control Methods

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Management
• Ecology
• Animal Science

Background:

• Global wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations are rapidly increasing.
• This growth leads to significant agricultural damage and disease transmission.
• Existing management and control strategies are proving inadequate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and quantitatively synthesize the effectiveness, selectivity, and animal welfare of wild boar population reduction methods.
• To identify research gaps and inform future control strategies.
• To evaluate methods for wild boar and feral pig populations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies from the Web of Science database up to November 2025.
• Quantitative synthesis of 119 studies and 181 experiments on population reduction.
• Evaluation focused on effectiveness, selectivity, and animal welfare.

Main Results:

• Aerial shooting showed the highest effectiveness (56.2%/month), followed by poison baiting (27.6%) and trapping (6.0%).
• Aerial shooting and poison baiting are effective but often not permitted in Europe.
• Trapping and individual hunting offer moderate, context-dependent effectiveness.
• Animal welfare considerations did not reduce control efficiency.

Conclusions:

• No single method effectively and humanely controls wild boar populations.
• There is a significant research gap in developing universally applicable, acceptable, and effective control strategies.
• Integrated approaches combining multiple methods are needed to manage wild boar populations effectively.