A ross man, who was walking his dog at Chase Woods, was charged at by a family of wild boar, and he is hoping to make other local residents aware that they are there.

Wayne Holman told the Ross Gazette that he was walking his 16-month-old Dalmatian, Elsa, on Friday morning (February 17th), when he came across the boar.

He said that Elsa was spooked when she disturbed them in the bush, which was not far from the main track. He said:?“They began to chase her, so I stood my ground.

“I made myself big, waved my arms and walking pole and I shouted, and this seemed to stop them from chasing her.”

Wayne and Elsa were fine, and arrived home safe and sound, but Wayne is hoping to make sure that other people know that boar have been seen in Chase Woods, so they can take precautions, particularly if they are walking their dogs.

Wayne told the Gazette: “What’s concerning was that I passed an elderly woman walking her dog, and also another lady not far from where it happened.

“My main worry was if that was a lady who the boar had attacked, it may of been serious.”

The Forest of Dean is ideal habitat for feral wild boar, as there is no shortage of natural food for them. As a result, in recent years, the population of the boar has ballooned, and been featured on various BBC programmes recently, such as The One Show, and Countryfile, but Wayne says that he was unaware the boar had spread as far as Ross-on-Wye.

He said:?“I know the Forest of Dean has a huge problem, but I feel it’s people feeding them so they’re not being naturally afraid of humans. The boar are instead relating people with food, which I feel will persecute the boar later on.”

In the Forest of Dean, dogs have been attacked, seriously injured and killed by feral wild boar. The Forestry Commission has received reports of these attacks, but they say that the circumstance of each attack varies, and there does not seem to be any common threads.

The presumption is that dogs have been attacked when they have got too close to the boar and / or their young.

However, there have also been dogs attacked when their owners are adamant that they were either on a lead or close at heel.

On their website, The Forestry Commission have some advice for dog walkers, if they are in an area where wild boar are thought to be:

“We strongly advise that dog owners walking in the Forest of Dean keep their dog under control and within sight. If you know your dog is unlikely to respond to your commands in the woodland environment, then please keep your dog on a lead.

“When boar are seen, we recommend that you call your dog to heel and put it on a lead. If the boar are in front of you, we recommend that you turn and retreat and find a different path – or stand still until the boar have moved off.”