Wild Boars Turn Rudi’s Garden into a Moonscape in Mol

Rudi Van Hove of Mol-Gompel in Belgium’s Antwerp province woke up to a devastating sight two mornings in a row last week: his garden completely dug up by wild boars. “I have no words for it. My garden has turned into a true moonscape,” he told VRT NWS. The incident is the latest in a growing wave of wild boar encounters across Flanders as the animal’s population continues its remarkable comeback.

The Devastation in Mol-Gompel

Van Hove, who lives on Glaswolstraat in a wooded area of Mol-Gompel, received unwelcome visitors on two consecutive nights during the week of August 17-22. A neighbor using a night vision device spotted a sow with six to seven piglets at the edge of the forest around 3 AM.

“I got up in the morning, and when I pulled up my roller shutter at the back of my house, I didn’t know what I was seeing. My whole garden was dug up. A real devastation,” Van Hove said. “After the second night, when I pulled up the roller shutters and saw that it had happened again, I almost had a heart attack.”

The boars were likely searching for chafer grubs—beetle larvae—to eat, according to Van Hove. At least four to five other neighbors also suffered damage to their gardens.

A Growing Regional Problem

The incident in Mol is part of a broader trend. Wild boars were nearly extinct in Flanders after World War II but began a comeback in 2006. The population has grown steadily since, with the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO) estimating annual growth of 37 percent. As VRT NWS reported, the province of Antwerp has seen a dramatic increase in wild boar presence: only 28 boars were shot in 2014, compared to 323 in 2024, while damage cases jumped from just 1 to 102 over the same period.

Previous incidents in the region underscore the growing concern. In April 2025, a 65-year-old woman was seriously injured by a wild boar attack in the ‘t Steen nature reserve in nearby Meerhout, suffering a broken sternum and deep cuts, as VRT NWS documented. A year earlier, in August 2025, wild boars dug up a cemetery in Postel (Mol) and damaged gardens and cornfields in Laakdal, prompting both municipalities to issue warnings, according to VRT NWS.

A Flemish-Wide Challenge

What was once primarily a Limburg problem has now become a Flemish-wide issue. In October 2025, Flemish Agriculture Minister Jo Brouns announced the appointment of a Flemish wild boar coordinator, noting that wild boars were present in at least 51 municipalities, as VILT reported. The coordinator, who started in January 2026, is tasked with streamlining wild boar policy across all of Flanders.

The scale of the problem is significant. In 2024, a record 2,078 damage cases were reported across Flanders, with 1,987—or 95 percent—being agricultural damage, according to VILT. The animals have also caused damage in residential areas, including a 2.5-hectare corn maze in Beringen that was destroyed before it could even open in August 2026, as VILT reported.

However, 2025 saw a slight decrease in culling numbers—about 2,500 boars shot compared to 3,400 in 2024—due to a poor mast year in 2024 leading to fewer births, according to VRT NWS.

Limited Recourse for Homeowners

For Van Hove, the immediate concern is practical. He contacted the municipality of Mol, which referred him to the Agency for Nature and Forest (ANB) in Brussels. “They said they would send someone, but when is still unclear,” he said.

Compensation for wild boar damage is rarely granted. According to the ANB’s FAQ on wild boar damage, compensation is only possible in exceptional cases, and strict conditions apply. Frank Van Swalm, spokesperson for the ANB, previously told VRT NWS that “owners must take their own responsibility to prevent damage,” noting that wild boars may be hunted and that fencing can be installed.

Van Hove now plans to fully fence in his garden—a costly endeavor—because he fears the boars will return. He also wants to contact a friendly hunter to ask if he can shoot the animals on his property. “It’s so bad that I don’t even like sitting in my garden anymore,” he said. “I have a nice terrace where we occasionally barbecue. That’s now become impossible.”

What’s Next

As wild boars continue to expand their range across Flanders, the challenge of managing human-wildlife conflict is likely to intensify. The everzwijnen.be page on wild boar impact on gardens, fields, and nature provides information on prevention and management, while the new Flemish coordinator is expected to bring more coordinated action.

For Van Hove and his neighbors, the immediate hope is simple: that the boars don’t return. “It’s now waking up every morning with a fearful heart, hoping they haven’t dug up more,” he said.