Letter: Germany's curiously benign wild boars

Sir: Wild boars are a public health hazard in most countries of the world, although Germany appears to be an exception (Letters, 19 March). In 1420, Edward Duke of York noted 'a wild boar . . . is strongest armed, and can sooner slay a man than any other'.

The main risk, as Malcolm Kay has pointed out ('Villagers join in hunt for marauding wild boars', 17 March), is the boar charging once wounded. Research in Papua New Guinea suggests that successful hunters carry at least two spears and have strong dogs. An experienced rambler should rattle an empty biscuit tin to scare them off. The benign nature of feral pigs in Germany is interesting and worthy of further discussion: maybe the observer was protected by the thick steel of a BMW, or maybe the pigs themselves are more docile.

Yours sincerely,

PAUL GARNER

CAROLE WILSON

London, N19