MAGISTRATE Nick Negus has offered to help the Forestry Commission cull wild boar in the Forest of Dean.
The keen hunter and parish councillor, who has spent decades travelling to the forests of Germany and Croatia to shoot boar, told the Forestry Commission he knew people who could do the job with the right weapons.
Mr Negus spoke during a debate on a report which is set to tell Forest Verderers to reduce the number of boar in the Dean.
The district council does not want to see the boar exterminated but say there are too many at the moment, and the Forestry cannot afford to let the population grow any bigger.
The electronics engineer told the Community Scrutiny Committee one of the biggest dangers was if the boar were injured rather than killed by poachers or local farmers, and then turn aggressive.
“When people are shooting boar they have to know how to do it. They should not be shooting boar with shotguns. They need an appropriate gun and some knowledge how to use it,” he said.
Mr Negus told Forestry Commission representative Rob Guest that he had the appropriate calibre weapon, was fully insured and could be contacted 24/7.
But Mr Negus said police have an armed response on standby around the clock with professional marksmen to shoot any dangerous animals.
Mr Guest said he would take the recommendations back to the Verderers but told them poaching was a police matter.
Councillors had originally planned strict restrictions to stop females and young being culled.
But they dropped the restrictions after being told the boar were now breeding all year round.
NORTH WEST HUNT SABOTEURS 