So, what is a social group of wild boars called?"Sounders", says Wikipedia!
Everyone had good sightings of sounders of wild boars at Parambikulam. One lot trudged past our dormitory morning and evening, their snouts in the ground foraging for anything they could find to eat. They really do eat anything edible I believe - omnivores of the highest order!
Nice mohawk isn't it?
Occasionally, they would lift their snouts and sniff out our alien presence, which I thought was rather endearing.
Nice mohawk isn't it?
Occasionally, they would lift their snouts and sniff out our alien presence, which I thought was rather endearing.They are fierce creatures, though, and I've heard stories of MNS members being charged by them. Sudhakar gave us a particularly graphic account of being stuck in a nullah within eyeball distance of one, with both man and boar wanting to flee. (He straddled the walls of the nullah and the boar went charging through the tunnel of his legs!!)
Wikipedia says:
If surprised or cornered, a boar (particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young with intense vigor. The male lowers its head, charges, and then slashes upward with his tusks. The female, whose tusks are not visible, charges with her head up, mouth wide, and bites. Such attacks are not often fatal to humans, but may result in severe trauma, dismemberment, or blood loss.
Those wild boars were among my favorites. I guess we were lucky we got nothing more than baleful looks!
ReplyDeleteNice one! Learnt a new word too - sounders!
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ReplyDeleteTheir tusks are so ugly/scary-looking. there's a very popular children's book in US called 'Sounder' about a hound. It refers to the way hounds bay when treeing/cornering a 'coon or 'possum.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kamini, the ones we saw looked quite endearing and hardly frightening, but the big male one at Top Slip was a different story!
ReplyDeleteYes Raji, I also learnt a new word!
Injamaven, I should look up this book.