Thursday, January 8, 2015

Wild Boars in England

Weird, weird weather - the temperature's been rising since 10 p.m., and it's now 55 degrees (F) outside at 9 a.m.; but we're supposed to have snow falling, starting around 5 this afternoon, as the temperature is now going to drop for the rest of the day....
  I read, with amazement, of a man dying in a car wreck in Gloucestershire, England  earlier this week.   The man was driving his car in the middle lane (6 lanes, 3 each way) when he struck a wild boar on the M4.  The car was then hit by a large truck, as it slid into another lane.  I'm used to reading about wildlife-caused accidents here in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  I know there are wild deer in England, as well as smaller wildlife.  But I never envisioned wild pigs in the UK as a driving hazard - the deer, yes; wild ponies in Dartmoor and Exmoor, yes; Scottish wildcats, yes.  A wild boar?  No way.  Then, today's Wiltshire Gazette newspaper states that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, lost one of her prized pigs, a Gloucester Old Spotted boar, to the attack of a wild boar.  Gatcombe Park, the country home of the Princess, is not very far from the wild boar accident site on the M4.  And the Gloucester Old Spotted Pig is a type of pig that was almost bred out of existence - they are bred for their docility and intelligence currently, but were great pork producers centuries ago.  I wonder if there is a wounded boar, crazed with pain from a car accident, wandering the Princess' neighborhood?
   Today is the Grand Parade of the Denver National Western Stock Show, starting at noon.  It's the kick-off event for the Stock Show, and will be followed by the annual barbecue at the Wells Fargo Building at 17th and Broadway.
   Back to wild boars, or wild pigs...  I know they live on continental Europe.  I know they live in the southern United States and in Mexico, and I've read about the destructive tendencies in the Carolinas, Louisiana, and Alabama...  But, somehow, I didn't think that wild boars still existed in the United Kingdom.  Shows I still have a lot to learn....

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