Preliminary analysis of the diet of wild boar (Sus scrofa L., 1758) in Islamabad, Pakistan

During the present study, 117 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were killed to examine their stomach contents in Islamabad, Pakistan. Stomach contents were found to be correlated with feeding sites, plant material, and the nature of food material and items consumed from both cultivated and noncultivated lands. The major component of the wild boar's diet in Islamabad was garbage (58%), followed by dead animals (16%), while the rest of the consumed food comprised cereals, herbs, grasses, weeds, tree bark, etc. Wheat leaves were prominent in samples collected from December 2005 until March 2006, when wheat grains (seed formation stage) became the major part of diet until July; maize was also a part of the diet during the same period. A small quantity of tree bark and Zizyphus leaves were also found in the stomachs, and mesquite was heavily consumed in June and July. Several grasses and weeds appeared prominently in the diet during the period between August and November. The presence of garbage among other food items was highest in the stomach throughout the year.