Even 40 years after the Chernobyl reactor catastrophe, wild boars collected in several federal states are exceeding the permissible limits for radioactive Caesium-137 and therefore cannot be sold commercially. According to figures from the Federal Administrative Office, a total of 2,927 wild boars were “destroyed” in 2025 due to excessive radiation levels, according to the “Bild-Zeitung”. Hunters receive compensation payments from the Federal Administrative Office for the contaminated game: €204.52 for adult boars and €102.26 for piglets. Bavaria is listed as having the highest number of affected cases in absolute terms, but Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, and Saxony are also affected. In 2024, there were 3,099 contaminated wild boars nationwide, and in 2022, the number reached 7,539. Breaking down the numbers from last year, Bavaria accounted for 2,308 cases, Baden-Württemberg for 491, Rhineland-Palatinate for one, Thuringia for 18, and Saxony for 109. Roe deer are reportedly rarely affected according to the report. For instance, in Bavaria, only four animals with contamination exceeding the permitted limit were registered in 2023, compared to 15 in 2020. A spokesperson for the Federal Office for Radiation Protection noted to “Bild” that Caesium-137 has a half-life of about 30 years, meaning that even mushrooms collected or wild game that feeds on plants and mushrooms in the forest can still show significantly elevated Caesium levels today. The situation is better on agricultural lands. A spokesperson from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection explained that because the Caesium binds to clay minerals in arable soils, plants cannot absorb it, or can only do so in very small quantities, through their roots. Consequently, foodstuffs from agriculture contain virtually no Caesium-137 anywhere in Germany.
Wild Boar Radioactivity Concerns Force Culling Across German States
