This morning we noticed some disturbance in the soil. Soon it became clear this happened in many places and it took only a few moments for us to realize we had again a visit from wild boars :-(

I had a night sight camera in the field. Not for any particular reason. It had been there for several months without noticing anything. Now it had filmed the visitors: eight in total! One in front, four following and then another three. Wow…

The next day, Thursday August 25th, we planned go to Ireland. A 10 days vacation to visit friends. Our first real vacation in a year or so. We were looking forward to go away already for a long time. So this happened in a very bad moment.

Most of our land is protected against boars with an electric fence. In the beginning of January we also had a visit and subsequently we set up that fence. It was not really clear to us how they could have entered now. Maybe in an area not covered by the fence, maybe it was not working well due to the dryness of the soil, maybe the gaps were too big (the boars in the video seem rather small) or maybe something else.

We spent the rest of the day and night reinforcing the fence from every possible angle and went to sleep around 2 a.m. exhausted with the alarm clock set for 7 a.m.: we had to leave for the airport at 7:30.

Alas. Just before getting up the alarm of the infrared camera went off. Another visit from, this time only, one boar that apparently got spooked by the camera.  

We decided cancel our trip and stay at home as we could not stomach wild boar partying on our land during our absence with all the damage that would entail. What a bummer and what a difficult decision. What a bummer, what a tough decision.

Suddenly we felt how tired we were from all these months of hard work. Of all the new, of the pigs, the drought, the voles, the wild brambles and the rampant reeds.