REPRODUCTION IN EURASIAN WILD BOAR IN CENTRAL PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Five hundred nineteen Eurasian wild boar Sas scrofa (Linneaus, 1758) were collected from March 1987 to July 1990 by shooting in crop and noncrop areas of central Punjab, Pakistan. The male-to-female ratio was 45.7 to 54.3. The age composition consisted of 48% of the boar being less than or equal to 12 months; 29%, 13 to 24 months; and 23% > 24 months. Males attained sexual maturity between the ages of 5 to 7 months and females between 4 and 6 months. The testes weights of males changed seasonally, as did the ovarian weights in females. Pregnancies were recorded primarily between February and May; a few were seen in August and September. Almost 32% of all sexually mature females were visibly pregnant during the study. Most animals were born during the months of April through September. Overall litter sizes averaged 5.7 +/- 2.2 (SD). However, the number of young per litter in females < 12 months (4.9 +/- 2.0) was less than, but not statistically different from, the number in females > 12 months (5.9 +/- 2.2). Annual production per female < 24 months averaged only 1.3 young, while females > 24 months averaged 3 young. The interaction of photoperiod, summer rainfall, and vegetation development probably determines the timing of the breeding seasons each year.