Definition

A feral pig is a domestic pig that has escaped or been released into the wild, and is living more or
less as a wild animal, or one that is descended from such animals.[1] Zoologists generally
exclude from the feral category animals that, although captive, were genuinely wild before
they escaped.[2] Accordingly, Eurasian wild boar, released or escaped into habitats where they
are not native, such as in North America, are not generally considered feral, although they
may interbreed with feral pigs.[3] Likewise, reintroduced wild boars in Western Europe are also
not considered feral, despite the fact that they were raised in captivity prior to their release.

In the Old World

The natural habitats of wild boar are woodlands; however, feral populations root and forage in
areas where they conflict with human activities, such as in picnic areas, on golf courses, football
pitches, village greens, etc.[4][5] In the UK, wild boar can be farmed under licence. However, to
release them into the wild is illegal.
Established populations of wild boar occur in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. These are
often active during the daytime (diurnal behavior) and are less wary of people. This is in contrast
to populations in East Sussex, which are nocturnal and wary of people.[4]
Groups of wild boar have been reported in the Scottish Highlands including Invermoriston, near Loch
Ness, and between Newtonmore and Laggan. A group believed to be a mix of wild boar and
domestic pig that escaped from a farm, have been seen in the Strathnairn area near Inverness.
Wild boar occur elsewhere in the UK according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs. It said between 100 and 200 were estimated to be in Kent and East Sussex, and about
20–30 in West Dorset.[6]

In the New World

The practice of introducing domestic pigs into the New World persisted throughout the
exploration periods of the 16th and 17th centuries.[7] The Eurasian wild boar (S. s. scrofa),
which originally ranged from Great Britain to European Russia, may have also been
introduced.[8] By the 19th century, their numbers were sufficient in some areas such as
the Southern United States to become a common game animal.

North America

Feral pig

Domestic pigs were first introduced to the Americas in the 16th century.[7] Christopher
Columbus intentionally released domestic swine in the West Indies during his second voyage to
provide future expeditions with a freely available food supply.[9] Hernando de Soto is known to
have introduced Eurasian domestic swine to Florida in 1539,[10] although Juan Ponce de León may
have introduced the first pigs into mainland Florida in 1521. [11]
Feral pigs are a growing problem on the southern prairies in Canada and in the United States.[12]
[full citation needed] As of 2013, the estimated population of 6 million [13] feral pigs causes billions of
dollars in property and agricultural damage every year in the United States,[citation needed] both
in wild and agricultural lands. Their ecological damage maybe equally problematic with 26%
lower vertebrate species richness in forest fragments they have invaded [14]Because pigs
forage by rooting for their food under the ground with their snouts and tusks, a sounder (group)
of feral pigs can damage acres of planted fields in just a few nights. [13] Because of the feral
pig's omnivorous nature, it is a danger to both plants and animals endemic to the area it is
invading. Game animals such as deer and turkeys, and more specifically, flora such as
the Opuntia plant have been especially affected by the feral hog's aggressive competition for
resources.[15] Feral pigs have been determined to be potential hosts for at least
34 pathogens that can be transmitted to livestock, wildlife, and humans. [16] For commercial pig
farmers, great concern exists that some of the hogs could be a vector for swine fever to return to
the U.S., which has been extinct in America since 1978. Feral pigs could also present an
immediate threat to "nonbiosecure" domestic pig facilities because of their likeliness to
harbor and spread pathogens, particularly the protozoan Sarcocystis.[17]
By the early 2000s, the range of feral pigs included all of the US south of 36° north. The range
begins in the mountains surrounding California and crosses over the mountains, continuing
consistently much farther east towards the Louisiana bayous and forests, terminating in the
entire Florida peninsula. In the East, the range expands northward to include most of the
forested areas and swamps of the Southeast, and from there goes north along the Appalachian
Mountains as far as upstate New York, with a growing presence in states bordering West
Virginia and Kentucky. Texas has the largest estimated population of 2.6 million feral pigs existing
in 253 of its 254 counties.[18] Outside mainland US, Hawaii also has feral pigs introduced
to Oahu soon after Captain Cook's discovery of Hawaii in 1778,[19] where they prey on or eat
endangered birds and plants. The population of feral pigs has increased from two million pigs
ranging over 20 states in 1990, to triple that number 25 years later, ranging over 38 states
with new territories expanding north into Oregon, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Hampshire. Some of
these feral pigs have mixed with escaped Russian boar that has been introduced for hunters
from the early 1990s.[20]
In the US, the problems caused by feral pigs are exacerbated by the small number of species
which prey on them. Predators such as bobcats and coyotes may occasionally take feral piglets or
weakened animals, but are not large enough to challenge a full-grown boar that can grow to
three times their weight. In Florida, feral pigs made up a significant portion of the Florida
panther's diet.[25] Other potential predators include the gray wolf, cougar, jaguar, red
wolf, alligator, black bear, and grizzly bear. Unfortunately, each keystone predator presents
problems: the jaguar is extirpated from California and the Southwest. The grizzly, while native
to most of the American West, is gone from the states that have large feral pig populations,
namely Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico; and the species has a very slow reproductive
rate. Wolf numbers are small and expected to remain so as they slowly repopulate their
range; only a few individuals thus far have been recorded as inhabiting California, in spite of
thousands of square miles of good habitat. The cougar is present in most of the West, but is
gone from the East, with no known populations east of Minnesota in the north, and very thin
numbers east of Houston in the South. The black bear is both predator and competitor, but in
most areas probably may not impact feral pig populations enough to control them. Programs
do exist to protect the weakened numbers of large predators in the US, but it is expected to
take a very long time for these animals to naturally repopulate former habitat.[26]
Hunting in the United States

Hunting pigs on farms with guns and a lot of it is now. Today is the day that the pig president is now,
but after hours is bar time.