Across the United States, wild boars have costed farmers billions in damage over the years. These wild pigs are destroying farms, tearing up ecosystems, and spreading fast – they have exploded in population, especially in states like Texas, where millions of them can roam freely. These factors have led the US to lift hunting seasons for these boars, meaning it is legal to kill any quantity at any time.
The Pigs
Wild pigs are not native to North America. These invasive animals first came to the country in the 1500s, when Spanish explorers such as Hernando de Soto brought domestic pigs to North America for food. In the 1900s, European wild boars were introduced for sport hunting – but they bred with domestic pigs that escaped. Because of this, today we have feral hogs, which are smarter, stronger, and way more destructive than any of their ancestors.
What makes them so destructive? One singular pig can produce dozens of offspring in just one year. This allows the population to skyrocket at an exponential rate. On top of this, these pests have adapted to live anywhere – forests, grasslands, swamps – and they will eat anything. But, you may ask, why is this dangerous for us?
The pigs are hungry.
These creatures uproot our crops, destroying over $1.5 billion worth every year. In the process, they dig up soil, contaminate water, and carry diseases such as swine brucellosis, pseudorabies, and leptospirosis; these diseases are then passed to pets, livestock, and humans.
The Solution
Farmers have taken matters into their own hands. A variety of hunting methods have emerged, each suited to different environments and levels of infestation. These methods include still hunting, where hunters wait for the hogs to appear; dog hunting, where specially trained dogs track and corner the pigs; night hunting, where hunters use thermal scopes and night vision equipment to eliminate hogs under the cover of darkness; trapping, where large traps capture multiple pigs at once; and, perhaps most famously, helicopter hunting. Many YouTubers have filmed their hunting trips, employing different strategies to eliminate these predators. These videos have garnered millions of views; while we can’t show these videos here due to the potentially gruesome nature of the clips, YouTube creators such as PigmanTV have accumulated over 1.7 million views on some videos. Creators such as this give a first hand look at the usage of helicopters to eliminate the invasive species, while discussing the weapons and strategy used in the process.
Conclusion
The wild boar problem in the US is a result of historical accidents, human oversight, and biological resistance. Without natural predators, and with their incredible adaptability, feral hogs have turned large parts of the country into battleground for farmers and conservationists alike. Hunters and farmers continually employ new tactics to control the growth in population of these invasive creatures.
