Wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) in the north of Western Siberia: history of expansion and modern distribution

We summarized the records of wild boar in the northern part of Western Siberia (Khanty-Mansy Autonomous Okrug–Yugra) for 1984–2016 to describe the expansion, modern distribution, and contribution of natural expansion and intentional release in establishing its population in the study area. We analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of the presence of wild boar using two parameters: minimum site occupancy and constancy of the presence of the species in various parts of the region. The relative importance of intentional release and natural expansion was assessed by comparing the distances to areas of releases and to the borders of neighboring regions. The wild boar naturally expanded from the southwestern regions to the northern Western Siberia, the role of release was insignificant. We suggest that river valleys were main pathways of expansion. The southern and central parts of the region (up to approximately 62° n.l.) are permanently inhabited by wild boar and can be treated as part of the species’ geographical range.