Aftab Ahmad, Muhammad Kabir and Shehnila Kanwal
SUMMARY
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is listed as the world’s worst invasive species (IUCN) and is recognized as a potential driver of ecosystem extinction. The wild boar is mainly responsible for crop damage and water pollution and acts as a vector for the transmission of many zoonotic diseases to humans and other domestic and wild animals. The present study was conducted to investigate the incidence of wild boar in Ayubia National Park (ANP) from August 2018 to August 2019. Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted to confirm the first presence record of wild boar, followed by a camera trapping survey to identify the movement corridors used by the species for their dispersal in the protected area. Site occupancy surveys confirmed the potential locations, which were afterwards selected for camera trapping to identify the current distribution of wild boar in the park area. Scat samples of leopards were collected and analyzed to investigate the contribution of wild boar to the diet composition of leopards in ANP. We also studied the ecological linkages and impacts of wild boar on the rest of the ANP’s flora and fauna. A total of 107 respondents were interviewed, covering 10% of each village located in the vicinity of the species occurrence range. The study’s results show that the first sighting of wild boar was recorded in 2008 on the edge of the park, and that the species was confirmed to be living in the park in 2011. We also found four possible movement corridors that helped the species spread throughout the park area: Kunhar Kas Nallah, Bakol Nallah, Satora-Haro River Nallah, and Namli Mera Water Tributary. The key drivers that enhanced the dispersal of the wild boar population are open dumping sites around tourist spots, mass infrastructural construction, and poorly managed tourism-based activities. The current distribution map of the species was developed in ArcGIS 10.3 using presence points obtained from camera trapping and sighting record information.
Keywords: Wild boar, Noninvasive study techniques, Impact on biodiversity
Citation: Ahmad, A., M. Kabir, and S. Kanwal. 2026. Dispersal Patterns and Ecological Impacts of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in Ayubia National Park, Pakistan. Journal of Wildlife and Ecology. 10: 41-52. doi.org/10.66470/10104