WITH his huge tusks and ravenous eating habits, Boris the wild boar makes fascinating viewing.

Which is why documentary-makers have been to a wildlife park near Canterbury to shoot footage of the extraordinary 25 stone beast.

He features in the Sir David Attenborough, Life of Mammals series, currently showing on BBC 1 at 9pm on Wednesdays.

The cameraman spent several weeks filming at the Wildwood Trust at Herne where keepers gave them the opportunity to film just inches away from Boris who could inflict serious injury.

Head keeper Terry Whittaker explained: "In the omnivores episode featuring Boris, Sir David Attemborough will explain how mammals have learned to eat just about anything. One of the problems facing the crew was how they could get close-up pictures of Boris.

"The answer was getting him to learn not to cross a harmless electric fence. This allowed us to put an invisible electric wire around the camera crew who could then film Boris just inches away safe in the knowledge he would not harm them."

Boris was destined for the sausage factory before Wildwood gave him a home with two female companions and he is now one of the park's big attractions.

Wildwood also gave the BBC team a chance to study the remarkable life of stoats, one of the most vicious of countryside predators.