Offspring at the Oberrabenstein game reserve
The Oberrabenstein wild boar herd has had its first offspring this year. After a single female gave birth to a young at the end of February, four more females followed in mid-March. A total of 17 youngsters are now romping around the spacious and near-natural enclosure.
In hunting parlance, the birth of young wild boar is known as "freshening". The young animals are therefore also referred to as freshlings in their first year of life. They are usually born between February and June, although two thirds of all births occur in March and April.
Younger bucks give birth to three to five young, older bucks can even give birth to up to eight young. No further offspring are expected in the herd this year.
The female is only in foal for just under four months. The freshening is preceded by the construction of the freshening den. This is a nest-like camp that the brook builds from cut branches, grass or reeds. They can find plenty of suitable branches in the game enclosure. The young stay in this protective twig nest for the first one to two weeks of their lives. The young are suckled for three to four months. This is also how long they wear their typical striped pattern.