A LITTER of extremely rare wild boars have been born in an animal sanctuary in Donegal .
Wild boars, once native to Ireland, are believed to have died out approximately 800 years ago when they were driven to extinction by humans and have remained an extreme rarity in Ireland since.
Ballinwillin Farm in Co Cork reintroduced the species with a litter in 1995, and now another generation has begun, with the surprise birth of a litter of boarlets in a wild animal sanctuary in Burnfoot, Co Donegal.
Wild Ireland, a new sanctuary based in rural Donegal, announced the birth on 3 May with a delighted Facebook post which included a video of the group-- known as a 'sounder' of wild boars.
"Our beautiful Wild Boar, Tory, has given birth to a litter of baby boar, also known as Boarlets!," sanctuary owner Killian McLaughlin wrote.
"We are so excited to welcome these six little bundles of joy to our Wild Ireland family.
"A little bit of good news to lift everyone's spirits!"
Mr McLaughlin, whose sanctuary is also home to bears, wolves, linx, deer, foxes, swans, ducks and Barbary macaque primates, spoke to The Irish Independent where he explained it had always been his dream to open a sanctuary and bring formerly native animals like bears and wolves back to Ireland.
'A glimmer of hope': Wild boars were once native to Ireland but were driven to extinction in the 12th centuryHe had adopted mother boar Tory from a zoo in the UK, and while he knew there was a possibility she could be pregnant he didn't know for sure, as wild animals often intentionally hide their pregnancy for safety.
So Mr McLaughlin received a very welcome surprise when he checked on Tory on Thursday morning and saw she was surrounded with six newborn boarlets, describing it as 'a glimmer of light'.
“Tory fitted in perfectly with Wild Ireland because we focus on animals that were once native to Ireland," he told The Irish Independent.
"We’ve been delighted with people’s response to us - there’s something about it that’s captured everyone’s imagination. They love to see these animals back together again in the forest,” says McLaughlin.
Tory gave birth to six tiny boarlets, known as a 'sounder'The response has indeed drawn widespread delight, with even Taoiseach Leo Varadkar commenting on the new arrivals, saying it was a "nice item of good news at a dark time".
Wild Ireland is closed for the time being due to social distancing measures, but Mr McLaughlin is adamant that children will get to see the once-native boars in the wilderness of the sanctuary soon.
"A big part of what we do is letting kids see the animals in the wild," he said.
"That makes a big impression on young minds and inspires a new generation of conservationists. It’s so important when we are all so disconnected for the natural world."
To find out more about Wild Ireland and the work they do, you can visit the website here.
