Association of wild boar feeding habits with habitat landscape during autumn in Japan’s rice-producing region

Context As wild boar populations continue to grow and their range expands globally, human–wildlife conflicts, such as crop damage, have become widespread. Effective management of crop-foraging wild boars requires a detailed understanding of their foraging habits Aims This study investigates wild boar feeding habits during the rice ripening and harvesting season in a Japanese rice-growing region, aiming to identify habitat landscape drivers of rice and natural plant consumption. Methods We assessed wild boar feeding habits by using the mixing models based on C–N stable isotope values from the livers of 57 wild boars and their food resources. Generalised linear mixed models were used to understand the association between wild boar sex and habitat landscape structure as well as the contributions of rice and natural plants. Key results Natural plants were the primary food resource for most individuals (48/57), whereas rice was the main component for only a few (5/57). For wild boars, the landscape analysis indicated that paddy coverage in their habitat was positively and negatively associated with rice and natural plant contributions respectively. Additionally, rice contribution increased in male boars. Conclusions Individual wild boars exhibited heterogeneous contributions to rice damage. Furthermore, wild boars in areas with extensive rice cultivation relied more on rice and consumed fewer natural plants, suggesting that easier access to paddy fields leads to a dietary shift. Implications Overall, we recommend a more strategic focus on managing wild boars in areas with extensive paddy fields rather than targeting the entire population to more effectively control crop-foraging behaviour.