Wild boars tearing up soil around graves in Limburg cemetery

Headstones in a cemetery - Credit: - License: DepositPhotos Tech Nature Wednesday, 7 October 2026 - 17:50

Wild boars have torn up the soil around several graves at the cemetery in Schinnen, Limburg. The municipality is working with the church on a solution, but people with loved ones buried in the cemetery hope for quicker action, L1 Nieuws reports.

The wild boars are mainly a problem in the cemetery’s new section. Instead of traditional graves, this section contains small headstones with a patch of grass in front of each. The section has not yet been fully landscaped and has a green area with shrubs and trees that attract the animals.

Nico Jetten’s (88) wife is buried in one of the affected graves. He discovered the damage about three weeks ago when he went to visit his wife’s grave. “It is truly distressing,” he told the regional broadcaster. “It looks like a battlefield.”

According to Jetten, the wild boars enter the cemetery at night. Warning signs have been posted at the cemetery gates because they can be aggressive, he said. “They’re big animals. I’ve seen about five of them. And now they’re starting to have young, too.”

Jetten said that several parties have raised the alarm with the church board and the municipality. A deacon told him that little could be done about the situation, Jetten said.

The cemetery formally falls under the responsibility of the parish board. Huub Scholz of the cemetery management committee told L1 that the parish board is aware of the problems and is actively working on a solution. "We are trying to install new fencing along a 150-meter stretch as quickly as possible," said Scholz. "There is fencing in place now, but it doesn't keep the pigs out."

Scholz added that the parish board is in contact with the affected loved ones and has approached the municipality for help. "We are certainly working hard on this behind the scenes," says Scholz.

The municipality of Beekdaelen confirmed this to the broadcaster. Although the municipality does not own the cemetery or much of the surrounding land, it is helping to install a fence at the rear of the graveyard. Acoustic deterrents are also being deployed to keep the wild boars away while the fence is being installed, a spokesperson said.