Baby boar found close to death after losing her mother in an annual cull

A baby wild boar called Minty is being looked after in an animal sanctuary after it was found close to death in the Forest of Dean.

Its rescuers believe its mother could have been killed as part of a cull which is carried out every year in the forest.

Video credit: Scott Passmore

Minty had been found collapsed on a drive of a house in the Forest of Dean. A local conservationist got a call and helped drive Minty to the sanctuary.

It's not known how Minty came to be separated from her mother but Scott Passmore believes the cull could be responsible, as the closed season - when shooting wild boar stops - hasn't come into effect yet.

Wild boar were released illegally into the forest of dean more than 10 years ago and since then their population has dramatically increased. The forestry commission carries out a cull each year.

Video credit: Scott Passmore

Boar are being culled in the forest at the moment though the forestry commission says they don't shoot sows with young litters.

But Caroline Gould of the Vale Wildlife sanctuary near Tewkesbury fears Minty may have been a victim of the cull.