Drivers of wild boar abundance and hunting effectiveness in southern Tunisia

Abstract Over the past few decades, wild boar populations have surged globally, including in Tunisia, creating challenges that necessitate understanding the factors influencing their abundance and trends. Herein, we analyzed hunting statistics (number of seen and hunted animals during the hunting events) from 2008 to 2022 to examine the spatial pattern of wild boar abundance in the oases of Kebili and Gabés in south Tunisia. Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models, we examined the relationships between wild boar abundance (the number of animals seen during hunting activities) and hunting effectiveness (the ratio of hunted to seen animals during hunting activities), considering landscape structure, human infrastructure, and hunting pressure. Wild boar abundance was higher in Kebili than in Gabés, but in Gabés wild boar population trend was positive. Our results suggest that wild boar abundance was positively correlated with oasis size, mostly in oasis with presence of herb, shrub, and tree layers. Regarding hunting effectiveness, our results showed that it was significantly higher in Gabés and was positively correlated with the distance to the nearest road. This study underscores the distinct dynamics of wild boar populations in the two regions and highlights the potential risk of population increase based on environmental conditions. The results emphasize the importance of region-specific management strategies that influence both abundance and distribution, and the capability to regulate wild boar populations by hunting. It also underscores the significance of collecting reliable hunting statistics to monitor population dynamics and formulate effective wildlife policies.