Revealing the Prevalence ofin Sierra Morena's Wild Boar: An ELISA-Based Study Using Meat Juice.

Abstract

This research work focused on the prevalence ofin wild boar from the Sierra Morena region. We conducted an ELISA analysis using meat juice samples. A total of 892 samples from six hunting seasons (2013-2019) were collected from the provinces that constitute the Sierra Morena Mountain range. These samples were analyzed using the PigtypeELISA kit, specifically developed for detectingin meat juice. The overall prevalence ofin Sierra Morena was 23.2%. The highest prevalences were observed in Córdoba (31.6%) and Jaén (25.9%). These provinces exhibit the highest density of wild boar as well as the greatest presence of the Iberian lynx (). Further in-depth studies are necessary, but it appears that the presence of wild felids and scavenger behavior may be associated with this observation.