However, there is one simple thing that confuses in this advice. The wild boar moves in the forest all its life. Roots, bushes, and wet leaves are not obstacles for it – this is its usual environment. For a person, in such an area, you have to watch your step, avoid branches, and try to maintain balance. So, we hope to outsmart the forest beast exactly where it feels much better than we do.
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The encounter itself does not mean that the wild boar will attack a person. Usually, the animal tries to retreat. It is more dangerous when the wild boar is noticed too late in dense bushes, a person approaches the young ones, or unexpectedly finds themselves near a weakened animal.
Is it possible to run away from a wild boar?
The size of wild boars depends on sex, age, region, and amount of food. According to the French biodiversity agency, adult males weigh on average about 100–110 kg, and females about 70–80 kg. These numbers alone disprove the clumsy forest giant image.
Informational and medical sources often attribute a speed of about 40 km/h to wild boars. However, reliable primary measurements of maximum speed were not found, so this number should be considered approximate.
The most important thing is not the exact speed, but that the wild boar is better adapted to moving in the forest area than a person. If the animal is far away, you can calmly retreat towards a road or a safe place. But if the wild boar approaches quickly, relying on running is risky: a person can fall, lose sight of the animal, or accidentally choose the same retreat direction.
The advice to run in zigzags also lacks reliable scientific basis. The wild boar can change direction between trees and dense bushes. Expecting it to be confused after the first turn would be too bold.
Dangerous encounters – rare
In 2013, researcher John Mayer collected data on 412 dangerous wild boar encounters with humans. Most often, the described cases involved large solitary males, and the most commonly injured were people’s legs and feet.
Cases where people chased weakened animals stood out separately. However, these 412 cases cannot be considered a probability faced by an ordinary forest visitor. The study analyzed publicly reported incidents, and how many people calmly passed by a wild boar is unknown. Where encounters without consequences were recorded, such incidents appeared to be rare.
It is also interesting that people are usually most afraid of a sow with young, but in the scientific data review, encounters with large solitary males were more common.
This does not mean that the young are not dangerous. An adult animal can hide in bushes, so approaching the young or walking among members of a wild boar group is not allowed.
What to do when calmly encountering a wild boar?
If the wild boar is crossing a forest path, feeding, or standing apart, it is best to stop and give it a chance to retreat.
You should not:
- approach the animal for a photo;
- try to chase it away;
- block its way to the bushes;
- make sudden movements;
- approach a lying or weakened animal.
If the wild boar stays in place, it is safer to slowly retreat without turning your back to it and without making sudden movements.
It is best to keep your dog on a leash so it does not run up to the wild boar and then run back to the owner together with the angry animal.
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Why can a tree be more useful than fast legs?
At first glance, the advice to climb a tree seems the simplest. Wild boars cannot climb trees, so a reachable and sturdy branch can really help.
The problem is that in the forest, the lower branches of many trees start too high. If the wild boar is already very close, looking for a suitable tree may be too late.
If you have time, you can climb a tree or reach a sturdy elevation. A thick tree, large rock, fence, or car can temporarily protect you. The most important thing is that a reliable obstacle appears between the person and the animal. A thin branch is not suitable.
What to do if a wild boar approaches quickly?
At such a moment, the most important thing is not to try to stop the animal, but to move out of its direct path and reach an obstacle.
You can hold a backpack, bag, or bicycle in front of you to protect your legs and body. However, you should not wait until the last second and then suddenly jump to the side – it is easy to slip on wet ground or misjudge the animal’s movement direction.
If close contact cannot be avoided, it is recommended to protect your head and neck with your hands and hold the backpack in front of you as additional protection. If a person falls, it is important to continue protecting the head and neck.
Why should even small wounds not be ignored?
In 2024, doctors analyzed 34 cases where people were injured in encounters with wild boars. Almost 72% of injuries were to the legs, and 38.2% of wounds were deep.
Therefore, a small mark on the skin does not necessarily mean the injury is superficial. After such contact, you should seek medical attention. A specialist will assess and treat the wound and determine if tetanus prophylaxis is needed. Rabies prophylaxis decisions are made based on the specific situation and region.
So, is it possible to run away from a wild boar?
The answer is simple: if the wild boar is far away and there is a road, car, or other safe place nearby, you can calmly retreat from it. But racing with a wild boar on a forest path is definitely not worth it.
The safest is to increase the distance, leave the animal a free path to retreat, and notice a sturdy obstacle in advance.
A tree can really save you, but only if it is close enough and you can climb it quickly and safely. In other words, it is better to know in advance where to retreat than to try to figure out at the last moment who runs faster in the forest.
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