7 votes

Wild pigs are running rampant—and doing billions of dollars of damage each year

Posted by skybrian
Tags: usa, wildlife, ecosystems, species.invasive, pigs.wild, author.diane peters, source.the atlantic, paywall.soft
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/09/wild-pigs-are-everywhere/616389/

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Title
The Clock Is Ticking on America's 'Feral Swine Bomb'
Authors
Diane Peters, Undark
Published
Sep 19 2020
Word count
1929 words

2 comments

  1. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I actually remember watching a few videos that went somewhat viral a few years ago about trapping solutions to this issue, if you're looking for ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcxow7lBr3Q...

      ...buying semi-automatic rifles, silencers, thermal scopes, and going on a night hunt to eradicate the pigs. However, as much as I would admittedly love to do that, there are almost certainly better ways to get rid of them.

      I actually remember watching a few videos that went somewhat viral a few years ago about trapping solutions to this issue, if you're looking for ideas:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcxow7lBr3Q
      (warning: a bit gruesome since they show footage of shooting the hogs)

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsFXhGoDnW0

      2 votes
  2. skybrian
    Link
    From the article: [...] [...] [...]

    From the article:

    There are as many as 9 million feral swine across the U.S., their populations having expanded from about 17 states to at least 39 over the last three decades. Canada doesn’t have comparable data, but Ryan Brook, a University of Saskatchewan biologist who researches wild pigs, predicts that they’ll occupy 386,000 square miles across the country by the end of 2020, and they’re currently expanding at about 35,000 square miles a year.

    [...]

    Two notable places in North America are tapping into new resources to prevent, track, and cull pig populations. The province of Ontario has an emerging population of a few hundred pigs, and it’s educating the public, collecting data, and testing how to track and remove swine. Meanwhile, the state of Montana, which is currently free of wild pigs, has a snappy public-education campaign, support from local groups, and strict laws. “These are the areas where there’s been the greatest response and media attention,” Nolte says.

    [...]

    In 2013, a resident brought in three feral hogs from Texas for a shoot. The Montana Department of Livestock, which had heard about the threat of these animals from other states, found out and had the animals killed. The state took the incident so seriously that it passed legislation in 2015 banning hunting of feral swine, as well as owning or transporting them, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on lawbreakers.

    [...]

    Those who work with feral pigs want to see evidence that early prevention can work to save money and ecosystems. “Twenty years ago, an investment of $300,000 would have been huge in Saskatchewan,” says Brook, who emphasizes the value of mobilizing as early as possible. With other regions across North America at risk of feral swine taking hold—including North Dakota and Canada’s Yukon Territory—evidence that early investments can work really matters. “Prevention is critical in those areas where no feral pigs are established,” Zimmer says. “It’s definitely better to get ahead of the curve.”