FERAL wild boar numbers in the Forest of Dean will be slashed by more than seven hundred over the next two years, says the Forestery Commission’s deputy surveyor.

The number currently stands at an estimated 1,172 but Mr Kevin Stannard said that numbers had to go down to 400 which is Forestry England’s target figure in the Forest of Dean.

Over past years, the boar population has increased from around one hundred or so in 2008/09 to over 1,600 last year.

The numbers are not as high at present, according to the latest thermal imaging survey which has been carried out to estimate how many of the animals were roaming the forest.

But Mr Stannard told last week’s meeting of the district council’s Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee that the current levels needed to go down further.

He said: “During the spring, we undertook the thermal imaging survey of the public forest estate here in the Dean.

“The headline result from this year’s survey is that there are 1,172 wild boar in the forest, compared to the headline figure for the previous year of 1,635.

“On the face of it, that indicates a significant reduction but, when you start looking into the details of the statistics, I think it is safe to say that we have stopped the upward trajectory of growth. It is now holding steady.

“Now we are in a position to bring those numbers back down to the long-term target of 400 boar in the forest.”