New Forest pannage season pigs tracked by GPS

A group of New Forest pigs trotted up to 7.5 miles (12km) a day during the annual pannage season, GPS tracking has revealed.

The animals are traditionally sent into the forest in the autumn to eat acorns, which are poisonous to ponies and cattle.

Nigel Forsyth put a tracker on one of his eight Tamworth pigs when they were released near Burley.

He said following their daily movements was "fascinating".

The New Forest's Commoners are permitted to release pigs into the forest, during what is known as pannage season, under ancient rights attached to their properties.

Acorns are toxic to most livestock but not to pigs, whose so-called pannage meat is renowned because of the animals' diet and the amount of exercise they get before slaughter.

Commoner Mr Forsyth said: "The pigs are a bit like teenagers leaving home - they choose to explore for a bit, come back and eventually find somewhere they are happy with - a nice area of oak trees."

Nigel Blow, who owns New Forest Stores in Burley, shared the pigs' movements on social media and added: "Everyone comes and tries to see the pigs in the forest, but you can never say where they are - they go where they want.

"They cover huge amounts of ground, way more than you would think. They usually stay local, but sometimes they may go off in a random direction if they get distracted - you can't predict it.

"They are part of the eco-system of the forest - it's quite unique."

Last month it was announced pannage season would be extended until 21 December because of the quantities of fallen acorns this year.