Wild Boar Pressure Raises Alarm for Protected Birds in Doñana

The debate over wild boar in southern Spain has reached the international hunting press. The French magazine Le Chasseur Français has presented the case of Doñana as an example of the unintended consequences that can arise when game management is removed and an opportunistic species reaches problematic densities.

The French publication’s argument is clear: wild boar do not only cause agricultural damage or create animal-health risks. They can also become a source of pressure on protected species, particularly birds that breed on the ground or in marshland areas.

A problem already raised in Doñana

The case did not appear out of nowhere. In May 2024, Ecologistas en Acción reported reproductive failure in colonies of glossy ibis and purple heron in Doñana National Park, attributing a significant part of the impact to wild boar entering breeding areas. The organisation also pointed to damage affecting other protected birds that nest on the ground in the marshes.

For wildlife managers, the key issue is not simply that wild boar may prey on eggs or chicks, a behaviour documented in different ecological contexts. The concern is what happens when that behaviour coincides with abundant boar numbers, recurring drought, wildlife becoming concentrated around wet areas and operational limits inside spaces under the highest level of protection.

In that setting, population control is no longer only a hunting-sector debate. It becomes part of practical conservation. The end of sport and commercial hunting in Spanish national parks from December 2020 shifted the burden of ungulate control to the public administrations responsible for each protected area, as the IREC noted in a scientific analysis of the ban on recreational hunting in national parks.

Andalusia has already declared a hunting emergency

Concern over wild boar is not limited to Doñana. The Regional Government of Andalusia published a resolution on June 2, 2026 declaring a temporary hunting emergency area for damage and animal-health risks linked to wild boar and feral pigs during the 2026-2027 season. The official text states that populations of both species continue to increase in the autonomous community, with environmental, agricultural and health impacts.

According to information released by the regional administration, the resolution strengthens control measures to help prevent the entry of African swine fever and reduce environmental and agricultural damage. This regional framework confirms that Andalusia regards wild boar as a species requiring active intervention, although it does not replace the need for specific scrutiny of what measures are being applied inside Doñana and what results they are producing.