Wild boar rubbing its back against a tree, Sariska!

Wild boar (Sus scrofa), also known as wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises. Wild boar are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia. Populations have also been artificially introduced in some parts of the world, most notably the Americas and Australasia. Elsewhere, populations have also become established after escapes of wild boar from captivity. The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species -- including, confusingly, domestic pigs. However, for wild boar, it applies to the whole species, including, for example, "wild boar sow" or "wild boar piglet". Wild boar is also known by various names, including wild hogs or simply boars. In North America they are more commonly referred to as razorbacks or European boars.

The body of the wild boar is compact; the head is large, the legs relatively short. The fur consists of stiff bristles and usually finer fur. The colour usually varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are great regional differences in colour; even whitish animals are known from central Asia. During winter the fur is much denser. The Wild Boar is quite a variably sized mammal. In exceptionally large specimens, the species can rival the size of the Giant forest hog, the largest extant species of wild suid. Adult boars can measure from 90 to 200 cm in length, not counting a tail of 15 to 40 cm (5.9 to 16 in), and have a shoulder height of 55 to 110 cm. As a whole, their average weight is 50--90 kg, though boars show a great deal of weight variation within their geographical ranges.

Sexual activity and testosterone production in males is triggered by decreasing day length, reaching a peak in mid-autumn. The normally solitary males then move into female groups, and rival males fight for dominance, whereupon the largest and most dominant males achieve the most mating. The age of puberty for sows ranges from 8 to 24 months of age depending on environmental and nutritional factors. Pregnancy lasts approximately 115 days and a sow will leave the group to construct a mound-like nest out of vegetation and dirt, 1--3 days before giving birth (farrowing). The process of giving birth to a litter lasts between 2 and 3 hours, and the sow and piglets remain in, or close to, the nest for 4--6 days. Sows rejoin the group after 4--5 days, and the piglets will cross suckle between other lactating sows.

Sariska National Park is home to numerous carnivores including Leopard, Wild Dog, Jungle Cat, Hyena, Jackal, and Tiger. These feed on an abundance of prey species such as Sambar, Chitel, Nilgai, Chausingha, Wild Boar and Langur. Sariska is also well known for its large population of Rhesus Monkeys, which are found in large numbers around Talvriksh. Sariska is probably one of the most visited parks in India. The reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and came under the "Project Tiger" as a Sariska tiger reserve in 1979. The park covers quite a large area of 800 square kilometers, 480 square kilometers of which form the core area of the national park. It is located among the Aravalli hill ranges in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Due to the presence of monuments of religious importance located within the park boundaries, the park authorities are compelled to keep the park open throughout the year. The summer months are better for animal viewing but are extremely hot with temperatures going up to as high as 49 degrees centigrade. In the winter months, the temperature touches a low of 4 degrees.

Sariska is well connected with the surrounding towns and it is not difficult to access. Yet, it is advisable to take your own vehicle or hire a vehicle for the entire trip. The park is very easily accessible from Delhi too. It is a 3 hour journey via the Daruhera - Alwar - Sariska route which is less than 200km. It is also possible to go via the main Jaipur highway, by which the distance gets extended to approximately 240km.

Source: Wikipedia & http://sariska.com/

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