France’s national rail operator, SNCF, has declared war on wild boars after their population explosion led to widespread disruptions, significant delays, and millions of euros worth of damage. With the boar population now surpassing two million, up from 300,000 in 1995, these wild animals are becoming a serious hazard to trains running across the country.
Once kept in check by legendary figures like Obelix in the beloved Asterix comics, wild boars—known as sangliers—have become a major headache for SNCF, causing thousands of hours of delays each year. The boars often collide with trains, damaging them and posing severe security threats. SNCF has been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of euros on solutions such as fencing and “boar flaps” designed to funnel the animals away from tracks. Despite these efforts, SNCF officials estimate that collisions with boars are responsible for a third of delays in some regions, with Normandy being the worst-hit area.
The problem intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic when fewer trains were running, and boars used the opportunity to reproduce near tracks. Last year alone, there were over 1,100 boar-train collisions in France, a dramatic increase from 619 in 2020. A particularly harrowing incident in November saw a train traveling from Caen to Paris delayed by seven hours after crashing into four wild boars, leaving passengers stranded in darkness with no access to food, water, or toilets.
SNCF has already collaborated with hunters and the Eure département’s hunting federation to use heat-seeking drones to spot boars along the tracks. The drones allow hunters to locate boar hideouts and, when necessary, conduct culling on private lands. “The idea is to swiftly spot their main hideouts over a wide area,” explained Nicolas Gavard-Gongallud, director of the Eure hunters’ federation, in an interview with The Telegraph.
Despite these new measures, the boar population continues to wreak havoc. With France’s rail network stretching across vast regions and a growing boar population, SNCF remains in a battle against time and the wild animals whose numbers are only increasing. The problem is not unique to France; across Europe, countries such as Italy, Spain, and the UK also grapple with rising wild boar populations and the damage they cause to infrastructure and agriculture.
As the situation escalates, the French government and SNCF are exploring further solutions, including humane traps and “biomimetic” sounds designed to scare the animals away. However, with no end in sight for the boar invasion, France’s national railways may face years of costly disruptions ahead.
