by Ray Newbold
Journal Correspondent

Feral or wild pigs inflict much damage to the woods and the surrounding landscapes they occupy. About 155 attendees to the Fifth Ark-La-Miss Wildlife Management Symposium held in Ruston learned about hog damage to cropland, lawns and golf courses, as well as predation on ground nesting animals from birds to alligators.

Feral pigs are omnivorous, that is they eat both plant and animal matter and are opportunity feeders. They compete for food on the ground, they root it out underground, and even graze in waterways and marshland where they degrade the water quality and feed on water dwelling invertebrates. Biologists speaking to the gathering described the presence of wild hogs on a property an ecological and monetary disaster.

First introduced in the 1539 when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto brought them to Florida, they were well established by the 1700s and are now in at least 39 of the 50 States and in four provinces of Canada. Some estimates place their numbers at over four million nationwide. Their favorite habitat is in moist forest areas near water sources.

Lacking sweat glands, pigs wallow in streams or other bodies of water, muddying the water, degrading fish habitat, and introducing coliform bacteria. Landowners notice many physical problems from grazing, rooting, wallowing, and fence damage, while scientists note biological changes in the habitat that the pigs occupy. Damage from wild hog presence in marshes can exceed that of nutria.

Diseases are also prevalent in wild pigs and can be carried to other mammals. The two most prominent diseases are swine brucellosis and pseudorabies. People are susceptible to the brucellosis bacteria while the pseudorabies virus can be passed on to other mammals. Because infection rates are high among feral pigs, moving them from one place to another is regulated by State law. The presence of these disease pathogens does not preclude eating the meat, but it is important to wear latex or rubber gloves when butchering, wash and disinfect after handling the meat, and be sure the meat is fully cooked. If there are commercial domestic hog production facilities near populations of wild pigs, the wild pigs invariably attempt to visit the domestic herds at night.

Once established, feral pig populations are difficult to control. Sows can raise two litters per year, and with six to twelve offspring per litter, populations can explode. Compare this with other large mammals which would generally produce one to three young per year. Hunting wild hogs is a recreational sport, but once the hogs encounter hunters during the day, they become primarily nocturnal, moving only at night. Hunting is not legal after dark, so population control is almost impossible using hunting alone. Trapping is most effective with large traps (fenced area), targeting juvenile pigs, pre-baiting the trap, during the fall and winter. The objective is to draw several pigs into the trap at a time.

Effective control of wild populations would require full time professionals working throughout hog populated areas. In Louisiana, one professional per two parishes would cost $2.5 million per year minimum, and to fully fund an effective program would require $5 million. But damage caused to hay fields and cropland, along with repair to lawns and urban landscapes is many times that amount.

Problems with or questions about nuisance wildlife, including feral pigs, can be directed to the USDA APHIS office (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) in Monroe, Louisiana or call them nationally toll free at 1-866-487-3297.

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