Posted on 09/25/2020 12:26:18 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
A population explosion among wild boars in the US has led experts to warn that a “feral swine bomb,” if left unchecked, could wreak havoc on large swaths of the country.
Undark Magazine reported on the explosion of the pig population, which has caused an estimated $2.5bn worth of damages every year.
Feral hogs trample and tear-up crops, attack livestock, and can destroy sensitive habitats. The pigs also act as disease carriers. They can host more than 30 viral and bacterial diseases as well as scores of parasites.
here are approximately 9 million feral hogs in the US, and their numbers are multiplying quickly.
Thirty years ago, only 17 states had feral hog populations. Today, there are at least 39 states dealing with the animals’ destructive tendencies.
Dale Nolte, manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the US Department of Agriculture, told Undark Magazine that their exponential population growth has experts concerned.
“They multiply so rapidly. To go from a thousand to two thousand, it’s not a big deal. But if you’ve got a million, it doesn’t take long to get to 4 [million], then 8 million,” he said.
In some parts of the country, like Florida, Georgia and California, the feral hog population has grown wildly out of control. Both California and Texas have encouraged the recreational hunting of the pigs, but their attempts to cull the population backfired; in response to the hunting, the pigs simply scattered throughout the state, increasing the scope of the problem.
Data suggests that in Colorado, for example, hunting pigs will actually increase their travelling distance by up to 100 miles.
Montana outright banned the hunting of wild boars after a 2013 incident in which Texas man attempted to bring the beasts into the state to hunt them commercially.
Two years later, the state passed legislation banning hunting of feral pigs and prohibiting their transportation or ownership in the state. Those found breaking the feral swine laws could be hit with up to $10,000 fines.
The pigs are especially dangerous because of their genetics.
The wild boars are the offspring of domestic big breeds and the European wild boar.
As a result of the mix, the pigs inherit the intelligence, heightened sense of smell and rugged survivability from the hogs, and their exceptional fertility – thanks to years of husbandry – from the pigs.
When pigs escape their enclosures and breed in the wild – even with other domestic pigs – their offspring can eventually revert to a feral phenotype after just a few generations – less than 20 years.
“The problem with the hybrids is you get all of the massive benefits of all of that genetics,” researchers said.
A few states have started awareness campaigns meant to urge the public to report the pigs so authorities can destroy them.
Washington, Oregon and Montana have a “Squeal on Pigs” information campaign that urges residents to call a 24-hour phone hotline to report pig sightings.
Though Montana has received praise from experts for its use of legislation and public information to help contain the flood of pigs, there is fear that too little is being done to get the creatures under control.
Ryan Brook, a biologist with the University of Saskatchewan that researches animals, said the efforts are just a small part of what is needed to truly contain the pigs.
“The efforts to deal with them are about 1 per cent of what’s currently needed,” he said.
You really believe it’s more than that?
That’s a pretty astounding figure.
“Both California and Texas have encouraged the recreational hunting of the pigs,”
Bull Crap. In CA you didn’t need to buy “tags” for them... that changed some years ago. And of course you need a “hunting license”
Maybe it will keep the Muzzies population down.
McDonald’s McBoar sandwich anyone?
Thin out the sows first.
I have already shot two this year in Texas. More to come during deer season.
“Feral swine bomb”. That’s quite a turn of phrase.
Wild boars are nasty, mean animals.
I was going up to a deer lease on a windy hilly road one night and as I came around a bend a feral hog ran across the road immediately in front of my car, a 65 Mustang.
The damn hog’s ridge on its back was at the same height as my hood and the length was about the same as the car,. It happened so fast that I couldn’t do anything, but fortunately I didn’t hit it.
With thanks to rdl6989. I think it's already here. In WI hunters are requested to kill hogs. With the caveat that if it's a domestic pig running lose, you're responsible financially. I guess the trick is to speak hog and ask him if he's feral. Like wolf, protected, or coyote, 365 day season.
I don’t doubt what you saw.
There are plenty of big old hogs the size of a small cow in the SE. Not sure where you are, but these are very smart animals.
I don’t know why people scoff at the idea that they are intelligent.
Here in Alabama, they run wild in packs. Google ‘Hogzilla’ over in Georgia. About 8 feet long and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 pounds. That’s a lot of pork chops.
Wow. That’s...that’s too close. Back the cameral up a bit next time.
Durn critter looks like it’s laughing.
Must have been running awfully fast too, to crash through the wall like that and get stuck halfway.
They’re some kind of sister-animal to people.
Medical science (the covid debacle notwithstanding) is toying with the idea of transplanting pig tissues and possibly organs into humans. The FDA just made some landmark approval of that pursuit in November of last year.
Commercial hog farms require that you “shower in, shower out”, that is, take a shower before entering and leaving the hog barn, because pigs/hogs can pick up the some of the same diseases and illnesses that humans do, and it lessens the chance of a disease killing off all their profits.
In the wild, they become every bit as wary and paranoid as any true wild animal, and it takes a little finesse to hunt them. You can’t just stroll along singing show tunes and blast pigs as they look up to see what’s going on.
And the great Ted Nugent says they’re darn good eating. Probably a bit tougher meat than a domestic pig, but the same thing overall. “The Nuge” has apparently killed hundreds if not thousands of them, and donates massive amounts of meat to food shelves in so doing.
The good eating ones are way smaller than the big ones.
You have to have major patience to be able to successfully hunt them, at least the bigger ones.
The fact that they breed several litters a years makes them highly problematic.
Yeah. I understand they hunt them from helicopters in some areas. I’m in Wisconsin and we don’t have them here yet, as far as I know. Probably the winter weather slowing their advance somewhat, like it does to palm trees and killer bees. 25 below keeps the riffraff out.
I don’t know if they use mounted automatic weapons or what, but it sound like it would be fun, and for a good cause if you’re donating all that meat (and keeping fifty pounds for yourself).
Can’t just rake them with bullets indiscriminately though, or you’ll mess up the chops.
The other white meat.
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