Distribution of wild boar in Karelia

Study Extent

Sampling was done by winter track counts in 2017-2020, yielding data on the encounters of the wild boar in the Republic of Karelia.

Sampling

Data were collected through a winter track count. This is the principal method of surveying game animals in Russia (Юргенсон,1965, Приклонский, 1972), based on counting animal tracks on snow within transects.

Quality Control

After the survey, an authorized body runs the rejection procedure and processes the transect & tracking record cards.

Method steps

1. The winter track counting (WTC) technique consists in counting track intrusions in a sampling transect. The number of tracks of the given species is directly proportional to the species’ population density.
2. Track survey procedure. The effort takes two days. First day (track erasing day). Skiing (or, if snow depth allows, walking) the route, the surveyor erases all tracks of game animals along the way so that only “fresh”, newly left tracks can be recorded the next day. Second day (track counting day). Moving along the route, the surveyor takes record of all the day’s tracks intrusions and the animal species the tracks belong to. Surveys should be timed to days with season-average (ordinary) conditions, without heavy precipitation, strong wind, or very low temperatures.

The harsh environment for wild boar outside of its traditional distribution range is the reason for the species’ low numbers in the Republic of Karelia, where the snow cover and nutrition are the main limiting factors. Yet, the species has survived in the area for some 50 years now. The animals are salvaged by farmland offerings, but even these food resources, which help wild boars survive outside of their natural distribution range, are declining drastically in line with the degradation of agriculture in northern regions of Russia. The landscapes and climate relatively favorable for wild boar can be found in southern Karelia. A comparatively high extent of agriculture in the area is the key factor for the higher wild boar population density throughout the monitoring period. The species’ numbers and densities are also high in Zaonezhye. The current distribution of wild boar in Karelia is roughly confined within the Porosozero – Medvezhyegorsk – Povenets – Chyolmuzhi – Kuganavolok outline. The boundary of the distribution of wild boar, as well as of any other species, is variable, appearing in reality not so much as a ‘line’, but more like fretwork with source enclaves, sometimes situated far enough from the so-called ‘line’, especially along river valleys. E.g., a fairly lasting source is found in Belomorsky District, on the White Sea coast, near rivers Ruyga and Nukhcha. Vagrant animals are annually encountered far north of the current species’ distribution range, since boars can be highly mobile when searching for food or during the rutting season.