Elsa, Berlin's Cheeky Boar, gets repreive.

[bigwheelzip]

A little levity for our fans of the feral.
A boar sow in a Berlin park has become accustomed to urbanites in her woods. She became famous recently after she ate the unattended pizza of a nudist bather, and then picked up the man's laptop computer bag and made off with it.
The nude owner of the computer gave chase to the theiving boar, and after an extended pursuit which raised howels of laughter from observers, successfully retrieved the bag.
Forest managers had initially considered culling the theiving sow, which had now acquired the name Elsa, but a public request for clemency has been granted.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53822057

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[vonn]

Was surprised at the yearly harvest number, must have a lot of space in Berlin that is good habitat.

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

I hate be picky, but, boars and sows are two different things. Maybe she
is a wild hog but not a boar. But, but in today's world maybe she is.

 

[Absalom]

I hate be picky, but, boars and sows are two different things. Maybe she
is a wild hog but not a boar. But, but in today's world maybe she is.

In European English parlance, "wild boar" is indeed the common term for the species and a sow is simply a female specimen. American wild pigs are indeed just hogs because unlike in Europe, they're not native to the continent.

It can get confusing. In Britain an "elk" is actually a moose.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I hate be picky, but, boars and sows are two different things. Maybe she
is a wild hog but not a boar. But, but in today's world maybe she is.

Being a city girl, my background in wild animals is sorely lacking, but I just looked up the definition of Boar, and it seems to be male for uncastrated domestic animals but either gender for the wild variety. Though maybe a laptop toteing Boar is striving to be less wild.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[6518John]

Mary don't let any southerners give you any lip about being from NY. Tell them you are "meaner than a bitin' sow." You will fit right in. I need to post this in the old sayings thread too. This was another favorite of my dads. This thread made me remember.

 

[Absalom]

The European-Asian wild boar is enormously adaptable. And actually not that easy to hunt. My dad hunted them for decades. They have a way to only show up where it's hard to safely shoot (Germany is fairly densely settled) or when it's too dark. The only consistently successful way to kill them if you can't get 20 guys and dogs together for a drive is to hunt them over bait on snow in the middle of the night.

So with no natural predators, they end up hanging around fringelands like parks and greenways that offer cover and food but aren't really huntable for safety reasons. And sometimes they even invade towns.

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eh-bS9fCldk[/ame]

 

[bigwheelzip]

Mary don't let any southerners give you any lip about being from NY. Tell them you are "meaner than a bitin' sow." You will fit right in. I need to post this in the old sayings thread too. This was another favorite of my dads. This thread made me remember.

Thanks, I think?
Toured a friend's hog farm outside Dubuque. Was shown a pen with several enormous sow and warned not to go in there since they might easily kill me.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Texas Star]

The scientific name is Sus scrofa. If memory serves...

Moose is an Algonquin name for the Euro elk. But the member who said they live in the UK is probably in error. Maybe he meant red deer, much like our elk or wapiti.

The true Euro elk is a major game animal in Sweden and Finland.

 

[Absalom]

Moose is an Algonquin name for the Euro elk. But the member who said they live in the UK is probably in error. Maybe he meant red deer, much like our elk or wapiti.

The true Euro elk is a major game animal in Sweden and Finland.

American settlers really messed things up when they adopted moose from Algonquian. Although it makes perfect sense.

I think the problem was that by the time of European settlement, mostly from the British Isles, France, and other more Western European countries, the European elk/Elch/elg etc. was long extinct in those regions and the settlers did not have a terribly precise grasp of biological details.

So the big American deer (much more common than moose, and larger than their European equivalent, the red deer) became elk in common parlance. And for the huge animals those settlers had never seen before, they adopted the native term, moose.

 

[Protocall_Design]

That gives the term "willie waving" a whole new dimension...

 

[walkin jack]

Although I have some difficulty generating affection for any kind of pig/hog I have a generally high regard to most members of the animal kingdom. But even though the pig/hog is kind of far down on my list of favorites I enjoyed this story and fully support the decision for leniency. Sometimes an individual in any group of beings that are generally not highly thought of can, by certain behavior other quality rise above and be rewarded for their special qualities. She certainly provided for the entertainment that day. Rave on Elsa, you pizza eatin', laptop stealin' rascal you.

 

[Onomea]

In recent years wild boar running around in Japan, bowling over pedestrians, have been in the news, too.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Sometimes an individual in any group of beings that are generally not highly thought of can, by certain behavior other quality rise above and be rewarded for their special qualities.

Agree wholeheartedly. Nine years ago the Germans had a similar special animal, a cow named Yvonne. An Austrian cow sold to a Bavarian to fatten for slaughter. It escaped on the day it was to be slaughtered and evaded a concerted effort at capture for three months. A 10,000 euro reward was offered, a shoot on sight order, even helicopters with thermal cameras, but Yvonne remained free.
Eventually, an animal sanctuary purchased her, and she was recaptured and lived out the rest of her days in peace at the sanctuary.



Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[Absalom]

In recent years wild boar running around in Japan, bowling over pedestrians, been been in the news, too.

Is sus scrofa native to the Japanese islands, or are these feral or introduced?

....Nine years ago the Germans had a similar special animal, a cow named Yvonne.
....
Eventually, an animal sanctuary purchased her, and she was recaptured and lived out the rest of her days in peace at the sanctuary.
....

No such luck back in 2006 for Bruno the bear, though ...

 

[Absalom]

To add insult to injury, Bruno is now stuffed on display in a museum in Munich.

He was originally Slovenian; Germany hasn't had bears since 1838. Bruno did kill 33 sheep during his travels, mostly without eating them, indicating a somewhat problematic disposition that likely led to the ultimate decision to have him whacked.