Hi JMS! I read the forums fairly often. I just don't think I usually have much to add!
Anyway, that sure acts the way a boar brush usually does. They tend to straighten out a bit when dry. Looks like a wooden handle. A Herban Cowboy maybe? They say "blareau" (sp?) on the box, which means badger in French, but they are definitely boar and not badger. Someone was trying to be fancy but just came off ignorant.