With the re-emergence of Wild Boar in recent years, their impact is increasingly felt in some parts of the UK, yet the animals themselves are largely elusive and much still remains to be learnt about them.
This workshop will start with a series of classroom sessions examining the boar’s history, behaviour, ecology, impacts, public perception and management. Our expert trainer will lead a 'virtual' afternoon walk using footage from the Forest of Dean to show you field signs linked with this elusive mammal. There will also be plenty of time for questions and discussion.
After a break for dinner our focus will switch to the skills required to survey large nocturnal mammals (like boar and deer). Our trainer will lead a walk around the Dundreggan estate using a thermal scope to look for nocturnal mammals. Although there are boar present at Dundreggan we cannot guarantee that we will see them.
Finally, on Sunday morning there will be an opportunity to explore Dundreggan in the day light and practice another skill useful for locating wild boar – the art of mammal tracking!
Our trainer will lead a tracks and signs walk developing another essential skill for monitoring large nocturnal mammals.
The course fee includes overnight accommodation, evening meals and refreshments, at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre.
There are also a small number of tickets available to attend without meals/accomodation - please contact training@themammalsociety.org for more info.
About the trainer: Alastair Hughes-Roden
Alastair graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 2018 with a Masters in Wildlife Conservation. His interest in mammals stemmed from his childhood days in the Forest of Dean, where he used to follow the tracks of deer and boar through the woods. Since then he has undertaken many surveys of large terrestrial mammals throughout the UK and parts of Europe.
Having successfully led many large mammal tracking walks for the RSPB, university groups and numerous mammal societies, Alastair is now focusing and running a group (called Tracker Al), which aims to help graduates and nature lovers gain more practical experience with field signs and tracks, of UK mammals. He is also one of the three members who runs a group called The Boaring Truth, which aims to educate, and provide information regarding wild boar in the Forest of Dean.
Intermediate level: This event is aimed at people who already possess a good knowledge of the topic. The event will then build on this knowledge by exploring key concepts in depth.
Accessibility:
We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of our training courses. If you require accommodations or have any accessibility concerns, please contact Fiona (training@themammalsociety.org) in advance, and we will be happy to assist you.
For booking terms and conditions click here.
*Please note - If not enough delegates book on to this course it may be postponed with two weeks notice, this is because we are a small charity and need to make sure our events are viable.
