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{{short description|Any type of feral domesticated pig, wild boar, or hybrid}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Razorback|the whale species|Fin whale|other uses|Razorback (disambiguation)}}
{{Taxobox
{{pp-semi-indef}}
| name = Razorback
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
| image =Wild Pig KSC02pd0873.jpg
], Florida]]
| image_width = 225px
| image_caption = A pair of razorbacks on ], Florida
| regnum = ]ia
| phylum = ]
| classis = ]ia
| ordo = ]
| familia = ]
| genus = '']''
| species = '''''S. scrofa'''''
| binomial = '']''
| binomial_authority = ], 1758}}


A '''feral pig''' is a ] which has gone ], meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to ]s, which can interbreed with domestic pigs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Overview of Wild Pigs {{!}} Wild Pigs |url=https://wildpigs.nri.tamu.edu/about/an-overview-of-wild-pigs/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=wildpigs.nri.tamu.edu}}</ref> They are found mostly in ] and ]. '''Razorback''' and '''wild hog''' are sometimes used in the ] refer to feral pigs or ]s.
A '''feral pig''' (from Latin ''fera'', "a wild beast") is a ] living in the wild but descended from ] individuals.

'''Razorback''' and '''wild hog''' are ] ], loosely applied to any type of feral ], ] or cross in North America. Pure wild boar are sometimes called "Russian boar" or "Russian razorbacks". The term "razorback" has also appeared in ], to describe feral pigs there.


==Definition== ==Definition==
A ] pig is a ] 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.<ref>Cf. {{cite web|title=feral|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feral|website=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary|access-date=November 20, 2014}}</ref> Zoologists generally exclude from the ''feral'' category animals that, although captive, were genuinely wild before they escaped.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Lever, C.|year=1996|title=Naturalized birds: Feral, exotic, introduced or alien?|journal=British Birds|volume=89|issue=8|pages=367–368}}</ref> Accordingly, Eurasian ], 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.<ref name="MayerJr.2008_1">{{cite book|author1=John J. Mayer|author2=I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr.|title=Wild Pigs in the United States: Their History, Comparative Morphology, and Current Status|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rh0LmDWdEI4C&pg=PA20|access-date=November 20, 2014|date=March 1, 2008|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3137-9|pages=1–3}}</ref> 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.
According to dictionary definitions<ref>{{cite web|title=Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feral|accessdate=23 October 2013}}</ref> a feral ] is one that has itself escaped from a domestic or captive status and is living more or less as a wild animal, or one that is descended from such animals. Other definitions<ref>{{cite web|title=Mother Nature Network|url=http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/10-feral-animals-wreaking-environmental-havoc/gone-wild|accessdate=23 October 2013}}</ref>define a feral animal as one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild, natural, or untamed. Some common examples of animals with feral populations are ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]s.

==North America==
===Continental United States===
]]]

Domestic pigs were first introduced to ] in the 16th century.<ref name="history" /> ] intentionally released domestic swine in the ] during his second voyage to provide future expeditions with a freely available food supply.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/feral-hogs/history-and-distribution-of-feral-hogs-in-texas/|title=History and Distribution of Feral Hogs in Texas|work=AgriLife.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413003133/http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/feral-hogs/history-and-distribution-of-feral-hogs-in-texas/|archive-date=April 13, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=February 2, 2016}}</ref> ] is known to have introduced Eurasian domestic swine to Florida in 1539,<ref name="WoodwardQuinn2011">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOGfKRZ0YFIC&pg=PA277|title=Encyclopedia of Invasive Species: From Africanized Honey Bees to Zebra Mussels|last1=Woodward|first1=Susan L.|last2=Quinn|first2=Joyce A.|date=September 30, 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38220-8|pages=277–}}</ref> though it is possible that ] had already introduced the first pigs into mainland Florida in 1521.<ref name="MayerJr.2008_2">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rh0LmDWdEI4C&pg=PA20|title=Wild Pigs in the United States: Their History, Comparative Morphology, and Current Status|last1=Mayer|first1=John J.|last2=Brisbin| first2=I. Lehr Jr. |date=March 1, 2008|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3137-9|pages=20 ''ff.''|access-date=December 26, 2011}}</ref>

The practice of introducing domestic pigs into the ] persisted throughout the exploration periods of the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.tworiversoutdoorclub.com/Wild%20Boar%20History.htm|title=tworiversoutdoorclub.com|website=tworiversoutdoorclub.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115958/http://www.tworiversoutdoorclub.com/Wild%20Boar%20History.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> The Eurasian wild boar (''S. s. scrofa''), which originally ranged from Great Britain to European Russia, may have also been introduced.<ref name="Nera">{{cite book |last=Scheggi |first=Massimo |title=La Bestia Nera: Caccia al Cinghiale fra Mito, Storia e Attualità |year=1999 |page=201 |publisher=Editoriale Olimpia |isbn=88-253-7904-8 |language=it}}</ref> By the 19th century, their numbers were sufficient in some areas such as the ] to become a common ].

Feral pigs are a growing problem in the United States and also on the southern ].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Calgary Sun |date=March 23, 2013 |last=Kaufmann |first=Bill |title=Alberta bringing in bounty to deal with brewing wild boar woes |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/03/23/alberta-bringing-in-bounty-to-deal-with-brewing-wild-boar-woes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912190351/http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/03/23/alberta-bringing-in-bounty-to-deal-with-brewing-wild-boar-woes |archive-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, the estimated population of 6{{nbsp}}million<ref name="Economist 2013" /> feral pigs causes billions of dollars in property and agricultural damage every year in the United States,{{citation needed|date=December 2018|reason=No such "billions" claim found in any source checked so far, including the Economist source that was cited for this entire block of text.}} both in wild and agricultural lands. Their ecological damage may be equally problematic with 26% lower vertebrate species richness in forest fragments they have invaded.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Ivey|first1=Matthew R.|last2=Colvin|first2=Michael|last3=Strickland|first3=Bronson K.|last4=Lashley|first4=Marcus A.|date=2019-06-14|title=Reduced vertebrate diversity independent of spatial scale following feral swine invasions|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=9|issue=13|pages=7761–7767|doi=10.1002/ece3.5360|pmid=31346438|pmc=6635915|issn=2045-7758}}</ref> Because pigs forage by rooting for their food under the ground with their snouts and tusks, a group of feral pigs can damage acres of planted fields in just a few nights.<ref name="Economist 2013">{{cite news |url= https://www.economist.com/united-states/2013/05/04/pork-chopped |title=Feral pigs: Pork, chopped |newspaper=] |date=May 4, 2013 |access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> Due to the feral pig's ] nature, it is a danger to both plants and animals endemic to the area it is invading. Game animals such as ] and ], and more specifically, flora such as the '']'' plant have been especially affected by the feral hog's aggressive competition for resources.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Diet of Feral Hogs in the Western South Texas Plains |jstor=30054058 |journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |year=1997 |pages=33–39 |volume=42 |issue=1 |first1=Richard B. |last1=Taylor |first2=Eric C. |last2=Hellgren}}</ref> Feral pigs have been determined to be potential hosts for at least 34 ]s that can be transmitted to livestock, wildlife, and humans.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=R. S. |last2=Sweeney |first2=S. J. |last3=Slootmaker|first3=C. |last4=Grear |first4=D. A. |last5=Di Salvo |first5=P. A. |last6=Kiser |first6=D. |last7=Shwiff |first7=S. A. |year=2017 |title=Cross-species transmission potential between wild pigs, livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans: Implications for disease risk management in North America |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=7821 |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-07336-z|pmid=28798293 |pmc=5552697 |bibcode=2017NatSR...7.7821M }}</ref> For commercial pig farmers, great concern exists that some of the hogs could be a ] for ] 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 '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=In the United States, negligible rates of zoonotic sarcocystosis occur in feral swine that, by contrast, frequently harbour infections with ''Sarcocystis miescheriana'', a related parasite contracted from canids |journal=Parasitology |date=April 1, 2015 |pages=549–56 |volume=142 |issue=4 |doi=10.1017/S0031182014001553 |pmid=25363485 |first1=R.|last1=Calero-Bernal|first2= S. K.|last2=Verma|first3=S.|last3=Oliveira|first4=Y.|last4=Yang|first5=B. M.|last5=Rosenthal|first6=J. P.|last6=Dubey|s2cid=44325702 }}</ref>

By the early 2000s, the range of feral pigs included all of the U.S. south of [[36th parallel north|36°
north]]. The range begins in the mountains surrounding California<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/One-eccentric-socialite-is-to-blame-for-14916088.php|title=One eccentric socialite is to blame for California's wild pig problem|last=Dowd|first=Katie|date=2019-12-26|website=www.sfgate.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> and crosses over the mountains, continuing consistently much farther east towards the ] 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 ] as far as upstate ], with a growing presence in states bordering ] and ]. ] has the largest estimated population of 2.5–2.6{{nbsp}}million feral pigs existing in 253 of its 254 counties,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://feralhogs.tamu.edu |title=Coping with Feral Hogs |publisher=] |date=March 25, 2014 |access-date=March 25, 2014}}</ref> and they cause about $50{{nbsp}}million in agriculture damage per year.

====Hunting in the United States====
]
]
]

To control feral pig numbers, American ] have taken to trapping and killing as many individuals as they can. Some, in Texas, have even turned the trapping and killing of razorbacks into small businesses.<ref>{{cite web |last=Horansky |first=Andrew |url= http://www.khou.com/news/local/High-tech-hunting-for-Texas-feral-hogs--204958811.html |title=High tech hunting for Texas feral hogs |location=Houston |publisher=] |date=April 26, 2013 |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140222142311/http://www.khou.com/news/local/High-tech-hunting-for-Texas-feral-hogs--204958811.html |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hawkes |first=Logan |url= http://southeastfarmpress.com/livestock/army-trained-combat-tested-and-farmer-approved-feral-hog-control |title=Feral hog control the military way |work=Southeast Farm Press |date=May 17, 2013 |access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ramchandani |first=Ariel |title=The Business of Shooting Pigs from the Sky |url= https://psmag.com/the-business-of-shooting-pigs-from-the-sky-5e46b8798975#.p6xvmm8e8 |access-date=March 17, 2017 |work=] |date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> The meat of wild pigs may be suitable for human consumption; around 461,000 animals killed in Texas between 2004 and 2009 were federally inspected and commercially sold for consumption.<ref name="tamu-faq" />

Legal restrictions on methods of hunting are lax, as most state departments of wildlife openly acknowledge feral pigs as an ecological threat and some classify them as vermin. For example, the ] considers them unprotected wild animals with no closed season or harvest limit, and promotes their aggressive removal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Feral Pig Control |url= http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/feralpig.html |website=DNR.Wi.gov |publisher=Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |access-date=November 23, 2015}}</ref>

Shooting pigs from a helicopter is legal in Texas; called ], and can be an effective method, killing as many as 9 to 27 animals per hour.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1878&context=icwdm_usdanwrc&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dcampbell%2Baerial%2Bgunning%26btnG%3D%26as_sdt%3D1%252C44%26as_sdtp%3D#search=%22campbell%20aerial%20gunning%22 |title= Feral Swine Behavior Relative to Aerial Gunning in Southern Texas |last1=Campbell |first1=Tyler |last2=Long |first2=David |last3=Leland|first3=Bruce |series=USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications |volume=886 |publisher=University of Nebraska - Lincoln |date=2010}}</ref> Helicopters can cost from US$400 to US$1000 per hour to operate. These costs are defrayed by selling seats on these helicopter flights to recreational hunters; Texas law only requires that those buying a helicopter hunt be in possession of a hunting license. The method relies on the helicopter flushing pigs into the open where they can be targeted. In some areas, such as the ], this may not be possible because of vegetation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wild-wonderings.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-porkchopper-aerial-hunting-of-feral.html |title=The Porkchopper: Aerial Hunting of Feral Hogs |last=Gaskins |first=Dan |date=2013-11-25 |website=Wild Wonderings Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute |language=en |access-date=2019-11-27}}</ref>

Hunting with dogs is permitted and very common; it has been practiced in the Southeast for generations. Competitions for producing the fastest ]s are prevalent in the South, with ] in ] a popular example, held every summer since 1995. Preferred ]s for catching feral pigs mostly are native breeds, and include the ], the ], the ], all six of the ] breeds, and the ].

]s typically are ] and their ], the Catahoula (dual purpose), the ], a dog used for the same purpose in South America, and ]s; the first of these has been put back to work as a utility breed<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bull-is-not-a-breed.html|title="Pit Bull" Is Not a Breed |website=Pitbullinfo.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://homesteadontherange.com/2017/04/05/american-pit-bull-terrier/|title=American Pit Bull Terrier|date=April 5, 2017}}</ref> over the past 30 years and its tenacity on the hunt and undying loyalty to protect its master have made it a popular asset.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aonmag.com/hunting/dogging-hogs/|title=Dogging Hogs|website=Alabama Outdoor News|date=January 28, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodpitbulls.com/dog-training/pit-bulls-hog-hunting/|title=Using Pit Bulls for Hog Hunting|website=Good Pit Bulls|date=September 21, 2012}}</ref> The method of hunting has little variation: usually, the hunter sends out bay dogs trained to chase the pig until it tires and then corner it; then a bigger ] is sent out to catch and hold down the pig, which may get aggressive, until the hunter arrives to kill it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cur Dog History |work=HuntingDogOS.com |url=http://www.huntingdogos.com/cur_dog_history.asp |access-date=Sep 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612013213/http://www.huntingdogos.com/cur_dog_history.asp |archive-date=June 12, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Greg |title=Boar Guide| url=http://www.huntingmag.com/big_game/HM_boar1_0406/ |access-date=November 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227021845/http://www.huntingmag.com/big_game/HM_boar1_0406 |archive-date=February 27, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hog Hunting supplies |url=http://www.westcreekhunting.com/store/c9/Hog_Hunting_supplies.html |website=For All Your Hunting Needs}}</ref>

No single management technique alone can be totally effective at controlling feral pig populations. Harvesting 66% of the total population per year is required to keep the Texas feral pig populations stable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2010/04/FeralHogPopulationGrwothDensityandHervestinTexasedited.pdf |title=Feral Hog Population Growth and Density in Texas |publisher=Texas A&M AgriLife Extension |date=October 2012 |access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> Best management practices suggest the use of corral traps which have the ability to capture the entire sounder of feral pigs. The federal government spends $20{{nbsp}}million on feral pig management.<ref>{{cite web|title=APHIS National Feral Swine Damage Management Program|url=https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/pests-diseases/feral-swine/feral-swine-program|publisher=]|access-date=February 3, 2017}}</ref>

In February 2017, Texas Agriculture Commissioner ] approved the use of a pesticide called Kaput Feral Hog Lure, which is bait food laced with ] (a ] used to kill ]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Fearing "feral hog apocalypse," Texas approves drastic measures|website=]|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fearing-feral-hog-apocalypse-texas-announces-drastic-measures/|access-date=February 28, 2017|date=February 21, 2017}}</ref>

===Canada===


Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) have become an invasive species in Canada, particularly in western and central regions, following their introduction as livestock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These animals are hybrid descendants of European wild boars and domestic pigs, and have developed unique adaptations to survive in Canada's cold climate.<ref name="Nat Geo"/>
Zoologists generally exclude from the "feral" category, animals that were genuinely wild before they escaped from captivity: neither ]s escaped from a zoo nor the ]s (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') re-introduced into the UK are regarded as "feral." Wild (i.e. non-domesticated) species ] into a new territory are not normally considered feral animals.<ref>Source: Christopher Lever, 1996. Naturalized birds: feral, exotic, introduced or alien? ''British Birds'' '''89'''(8):367–368.</ref>


Canadian farmers began importing wild boars from Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s for meat production. Some of these animals escaped from farms by digging under or breaking through fences, while others were intentionally released when the boar meat market declined. Initially dismissed as a minor concern due to assumptions about their inability to survive Canadian winters, the population has since grown and spread significantly.
==Introduction to the Americas==
Domestic pigs were first introduced to ] in the 16th century.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.tworiversoutdoorclub.com/Wild%20Boar%20History.htm |title=tworiversoutdoorclub.com |publisher=tworiversoutdoorclub.com |date= |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref>


These hybrid pigs can reach weights of up to 600 pounds or more, substantially larger than their European counterparts which typically weigh 220 pounds. They possess several distinctive features:
] is known to have intentionally released domestic swine in the ] during his second voyage to provide future expeditions with a freely available food supply.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}
*Sharp tusks
*Bristly coats with thick, warm fur
*High cold tolerance
*Large litter sizes (up to six piglets twice per year)
*Ability to construct "pigloos" - shelter structures made from cattails for winter protection <ref name="Nat Geo"/>


Research conducted by the ] has shown that feral pigs have spread throughout western and central Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba. Their range has been expanding since their introduction, with significant population growth documented between 1990 and 2017.<ref name="Nat Geo">{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=Andrea |title=Huge feral hogs invading Canada, building 'pigloos' as they go |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/huge-feral-hogs-swine-spreading-through-north-canada |website=National Geographic |date=April 3, 2020 |access-date=2024-01-17}}</ref>
] is known to have introduced Eurasian domestic swine to ] in 1539,<ref name="WoodwardQuinn2011">{{cite book |author1=Susan L. Woodward |author2=Joyce A. Quinn |title=Encyclopedia of Invasive Species: From Africanized Honey Bees to Zebra Mussels |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOGfKRZ0YFIC&pg=PA277 |accessdate=26 December 2011 |date=30 September 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-38220-8|pages=277–}}</ref> although ] may have introduced the first pigs into mainland Florida in 1521.<ref name="MayerJr.2008">{{cite book|author1=John J. Mayer|author2=I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr. |title=Wild Pigs in the United States: Their History, Comparative Morphology, and Current Status |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=rh0LmDWdEI4C&pg=PA20 |accessdate=26 December 2011 |date=1 March 2008|publisher=University of Georgia Press|isbn=978-0-8203-3137-9|pages=20–}}</ref>


== Hawaii ==
The practice of introducing domestic pigs into the ] continued throughout the exploration periods of the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="history" /> The Eurasian ] (''S. s. scrofa''), which originally ranged from ] to European ] may have also been introduced.<ref name="Nera">{{cite book | author= Scheggi, Massimo | title= La Bestia Nera: Caccia al Cinghiale fra Mito, Storia e Attualità | year= 1999 | page= 201 | isbn=88-253-7904-8 |language=it}}</ref> By the 19th century, their numbers were sufficient in the Southern United States to become a common game animal: in chapter seven of ]'s late-19th-century book '']'', Huck tricks his abusive father into thinking he is dead by shooting a wild hog he found in the woods and using the blood to smear around the cabin and escape, and eats the rest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Twain|first=Mark|title=The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|year=1885|publisher=Charles L. Webster And Company}}</ref>
A genetic analysis found that the first pigs were introduced to Hawaii by ] in approximately AD 1200.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Linderholm |first1=Anna |last2=Spencer |first2=Daisy |last3=Battista |first3=Vincent |last4=Frantz |first4=Laurent |last5=Barnett |first5=Ross |last6=Fleischer |first6=Robert C. |last7=James |first7=Helen F. |last8=Duffy |first8=Dave |last9=Sparks |first9=Jed P. |last10=Clements |first10=David R. |last11=Andersson |first11=Leif |last12=Dobney |first12=Keith |last13=Leonard |first13=Jennifer A. |last14=Larson |first14=Greger |date=2016 |title=A novel MC1R allele for black coat colour reveals the Polynesian ancestry and hybridization patterns of Hawaiian feral pigs |journal=Royal Society Open Science |language=en |volume=3 |issue=9 |pages=160304 |doi=10.1098/rsos.160304 |issn=2054-5703 |pmc=5043315 |pmid=27703696|bibcode=2016RSOS....360304L }}</ref> Additional varieties of European pigs were introduced after Captain Cook's arrival into Hawaii in 1778,<ref>{{cite web|last=Downes |first=Lawrence |url= http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/2021001110_hawaiipigsxml.html |title=In pursuit of Hawaii's wild feral pigs |work=The Seattle Times |date=May 19, 2013 |access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> where they prey on or eat endangered birds and plants. The population of feral pigs has increased from 2 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 ], ], ], and ]. Some of these feral pigs have mixed with escaped Russian boars that have been introduced for hunters since the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Goode |first=Erica |title=When One Man's Game Is Also a Marauding Pest |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/us/hunting-ranches-resist-efforts-to-curb-feral-swine.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |work=The New York Times |date=April 27, 2013 |access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>


Feral pigs are opportunistic omnivores, with about 85%-90% of their diet being plant matter, and the remainder animal.<ref name="tamu-faq" /> Plants have difficulties regenerating from their wallowing, as North American flora did not evolve to withstand the destruction caused by rooting pigs, unlike European or Asian flora.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wild Hogs in Florida: Ecology and Management |url=https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322 |work=Electronic Data Information Source |publisher=Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida |date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=February 2, 2016 |first=William M. |last=Giuliano |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309155549/https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Feral pigs in the U.S. eat small animals, mostly invertebrates like insects and worms but also vertebrates such as ] poults, ]s, ]s, and the ]s of reptiles and birds.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunterresources/articles/hogsferal.cfm |title=Feral Hogs – Wildlife Enemy Number One |work=Outdoor Alabama |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140206195326/http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunterresources/articles/hogsferal.cfm |archive-date=February 6, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This can deprive other wildlife that normally would feed upon these important food sources.
In South America, during the early 20th century, free-ranging boars were introduced in ] for hunting purposes and eventually crossed the border into ] in the 1990s, quickly becoming an ]. Licensed private hunting of both feral boars and their hybrids with domestic pigs was authorized from August 2005 on in the southern Brazilian state of ],<ref>{{cite web |title=INSTRUÇÃO NORMATIVA Nº 71, DE 04 DE AGOSTO DE 2005 |url=http://www.institutohorus.org.br/download/marcos_legais/INSTRUCAO_NORMATIVA_N_71_04_agosto_2005.pdf |publisher=SERVIÇO PÚBLICO FEDERAL MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DO MEIO AMBIENTE E DOS RECURSOS NATURAIS RENOVÁVEIS |date=2009-02-13}}</ref> although their presence as a pest had been already noticed by the press as early as 1994.<ref>"Javali: fronteiras rompidas" ("Boars break across the border") ''Globo Rural'' 9:99, January 1994, ISSN 0102-6178, pgs.32/35</ref> Releases and escapes from unlicensed farms (established because of increased demand for boar meat as an alternative to ]), however, continued to bolster feral populations, and by mid-2008, licensed hunts had to be expanded to the states of ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|title=A técnica da caça do javali: Reprodução desordenada do animal é combatida com o abate|url=http://www.arroiogrande.com/especiais_javali.htm |first=Eduardo|last=Cecconi|publisher=Terra de Mauá|date=2009-02-13}}</ref>


In some case, other wildlife are out-competed by the feral pigs' higher reproductive rate; a sow can become pregnant as early as six months old and give birth to multiple litters of piglets yearly.<ref name="tamu-faq">{{cite web |url=http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/ |title=Frequently Asked Questions-Wild Pigs: Coping with Feral Hogs |work=FeralHogs.TAMU.edu |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=February 10, 2014 |archive-date=January 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112074214/http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the autumn, other animals such as the ] compete directly with feral pigs as both forage for ] (the fruit of forest trees).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm |title=Black Bears – Great Smoky Mountains National Park |publisher=US National Park Service |access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> These are likely reasons that they reduce diversity when they invade.<ref name=":0" />
Recently established Brazilian boar populations are not to be confused with long-established populations of feral domestic pigs, which have existed mainly in the ] for more than 100 years, along with native ]. The demographic dynamics of the interaction between feral pig populations and those of the two native species of peccaries (] and ]) is obscure and is being studied presently. The existence of feral pigs could somewhat ease ] predation on peccary populations, as jaguars would show a preference for hunting pigs, when they are available.<ref>{{cite web|title=Invasor ou vizinho? Invasor ou vizinho? Estudo traz nova visão sobre interação entre porco-monteiro e seus ’primos’ do Pantanal |url=http://www.cienciahoje.uol.com.br/controlPanel/materia/view/3835 |first=Fred|last=Furtado|publisher=Ciencia Hoje|date=2009-02-13}}</ref>


In the U.S., the problems caused by feral pigs are exacerbated by the small number of species which prey on them. Predators such as ] and ] 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 ]'s diet.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://myfwc.com/media/2102702/6staffreport-wildhog_presentation.pdf |title=Wild Hogs in Florida: An Overview|website=MyFWC.com |publisher=Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission |access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> Other potential predators include the ], ], ], ], ], American black bear, and ]. Unfortunately, each keystone predator presents problems: the jaguar is extirpated from California and the ]. The grizzly bear, while native to most of the American West, is gone from the states that have large feral pig populations, namely Texas, ], California, and ]; and the species also 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 ] in the South. The American 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 U.S., but it is expected to take a very long time for these animals to naturally repopulate their former habitat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Natural Predators of Feral Hogs |url=http://articles.extension.org/pages/63656/natural-predators-of-feral-hogs |work=eXtension |access-date=February 2, 2016 |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202153139/http://articles.extension.org/pages/63656/natural-predators-of-feral-hogs |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===21st century===
Feral hogs are a growing problem in the U.S. and on the southern prairies in Canada.<ref>Calgary Sun, March 23, 2013</ref> As of 2013, the estimated population of six million feral hogs causes billions of dollars in property damage every year in the U.S., both in wild lands and in agricultural ones. Because a swine's natural instinct is to root for tubers and seeds under the ground with its snout and tusks, a sounder of razorbacks can damage acres of potatoes or corn fields in just a few nights.<ref>{{cite news|author= |url=http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21577096-pesky-tasty-addition-landscape-pork-chopped |title=Feral pigs: Pork, chopped |publisher=The Economist |date=2013-05-04 |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> For commercial pig farmers, great concern exists that some of the hogs could be a vector for ] to return to the United States, which heretofore has been extinct in America since 1978. <!-- who drinks untreated surface water? It is equally a public health concern that certain zoonotic diseases could jump to humans as waterborne illness: razorback sounders are known to defecate as they wallow in creek bottoms, washes, and other water sources that may be used or connected to sources of drinking water. -->


==South America==
The present range of wild hogs includes all of the United States south of the 36°N. The range begins in the mountains surrounding ] and crosses over the mountains, continuing consistently much farther east towards the ] bayous and forests, terminating in the entire ] 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 ] as far as upstate ], with a growing presence in states bordering ] and ]. ] has the largest estimated population of 2.6 million razorbacks existing in 253 of its 254 counties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://feralhogs.tamu.edu |title=Coping with Feral Hogs |publisher=tamu.edu |date=2014-03-25 |accessdate=2014-03-25}}</ref> Outside the mainland, ] also has trouble with feral pigs introduced to ] soon after ]'s discovery of Hawaii in 1778,<ref>{{cite web|last=Downes |first=Lawrence |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/2021001110_hawaiipigsxml.html |title=In pursuit of Hawaii’s wily feral pigs &#124; Travel |publisher=The Seattle Times |date= |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> where they are a menace to very endangered birds and plants they eat voraciously. The population of razorbacks has exploded from only 2 million hogs spread out over 20 states in 1990, to triple that number 25 years later, spread out over 38 states with new territories expanding north into Oregon, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Hampshire, some of them genetically mixing with escaped Russian boar introduced for sportsmen between the early 1990s and the present.<ref>{{cite news|last=Goode|first=Erica|title=When One Man’s Game Is Also a Marauding Pest|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/us/hunting-ranches-resist-efforts-to-curb-feral-swine.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper=New York Times|date=April 27, 2013}}</ref>
In South America, during the early 20th century, free-ranging boars were introduced in Uruguay for hunting purposes and eventually crossed the border into Brazil in the 1990s, quickly becoming an ]. Licensed private hunting of both feral boars and their hybrids with domestic pigs was authorized from August 2005 on in the southern Brazilian state of ],<ref>{{cite web |author=Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Maturais Nenováveis |title=Instrução Normativa No. 71 |date=August 4, 2005 |publisher=Federal Ministério do Meio Ambiente (Brazil) |url= http://www.institutohorus.org.br/download/marcos_legais/INSTRUCAO_NORMATIVA_N_71_04_agosto_2005.pdf |access-date=February 13, 2009}}</ref> although their presence as a pest had been already noticed by the press as early as 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=Javali: Fronteiras rompidas |trans-title=Boars break across the border |work=Globo Rural |date=January 1994 |issn=0102-6178 |pages=32–35}}</ref> Releases and escapes from unlicensed farms (established because of increased demand for boar meat as an alternative to pork) continued to bolster feral populations and, by mid-2008, licensed hunts had to be expanded to the states of ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |title=A técnica da caça do javali: Reprodução desordenada do animal é combatida com o abate |url= http://www.arroiogrande.com/especiais_javali.htm |first=Eduardo |last=Cecconi |publisher=Terra de Mauá |date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081119123134/http://www.arroiogrande.com/especiais_javali.htm |archive-date=November 19, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


Recently established Brazilian boar populations are not to be confused with long-established populations of feral domestic pigs, which have existed mainly in the ] for more than 100 years, along with native ]. The demographic dynamics of the interaction between feral pig populations and those of the two native species of peccaries (] and ]) is obscure and is still being studied. The existence of feral pigs could somewhat ease ] predation on peccary populations, as jaguars show a preference for hunting pigs when they are available.<ref>{{cite web |title=Invasor ou vizinho? Invasor ou vizinho? Estudo traz nova visão sobre interação entre porco-monteiro e seus 'primos' do Pantanal |url= http://www.cienciahoje.uol.com.br/controlPanel/materia/view/3835 |first=Fred |last=Furtado |publisher=Ciencia Hoje |date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080906102818/http://cienciahoje.uol.com.br/controlPanel/materia/view/3835 |archive-date=September 6, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Some aquatic animals, such as alligators and ]s, manage their numbers in the Southern swamps and South Florida, but as reptillian predators, they are impeded by decreasing temperatures in fall and winter. Midlevel predators, such as ] and ], may occasionally take 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, razorbacks make up a significant portion of the Florida panther's diet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://myfwc.com/media/2102702/6staffreport-wildhog_presentation.pdf |title=Wild Hogs in Florida : An Overview |publisher=Myfwc.com |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> The introduction of this non-native species wreaks havoc with the entire foodchain as wild hogs are omnivorous. Plants have a difficult time regenerating from their wallowing behaviors as North American flora did not evolve to withstand the onslaught of a rooting pig, unlike Europe or Asia. Small animals like the poults of ]s, ]s, and many species of ]s often fall victim to the larger and more aggressive swine, easily dominated and eaten or often consumed as eggs in the case of reptiles and birds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunterresources/articles/hogsferal.cfm |title=Feral Hogs - Wildlife Enemy Number One |publisher=Outdooralabama.com |date= |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> The other wildlife that normally would prey upon these smaller animals are then deprived of important food sources and in some cases outcompeted by the razorbacks' higher reproductive rate: a sow can become pregnant as early as 6 months old and give birth to multiple litters of piglets yearly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/ |title=Frequently Asked Questions-Wild Pigs « Coping with Feral Hogs |publisher=Feralhogs.tamu.edu |date= |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> Other animals, such as the black bear, compete directly with them in the fall as razorbacks are notorious for consuming tree mast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/black-bears.htm |title=Black Bears - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service) |publisher=Nps.gov |date= |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref>


==Australia==
Compounding the problem is the shortened list of natural predators available in the United States to suppress razorback numbers. In North America, these large predators would include all subspecies of the gray wolf, the cougar, the jaguar, the red wolf, the black bear, and the 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 huge hog infestations, namely Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico and the species has a very slow reproductive rate. Wolf numbers are overall weak and expected to remain so as they slowly repopulate their range; only one has thus far 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 ] in the South. The black bear, as illustrated, is both predator and competitor. 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.


], Australia, 2009]]
Alarmed at the overall population explosion, American hunters have in recent years taken to trapping and/or killing as many hogs as they can, especially in Texas. Some have even turned the trapping and killing of razorbacks into small businesses.<ref>{{cite web|last=Horansky |first=Andrew |url=http://www.khou.com/news/local/High-tech-hunting-for-Texas-feral-hogs--204958811.html |title=High tech hunting for Texas feral hogs &#124; khou.com Houston |publisher=Khou.com |date=2013-04-26 |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hawkes |first=Logan |url=http://southeastfarmpress.com/livestock/army-trained-combat-tested-and-farmer-approved-feral-hog-control |title=Feral hog control the military way &#124; Livestock content from |publisher=Southeast Farm Press |date=2013-05-17 |accessdate=2014-02-10}}</ref> Legal restrictions on methods of hunting are fairly lax, as most state departments of wildlife openly acknowledge them as an ecological threat and some classify them as vermin: ], professional-grade ], high-powered ], semiautomatic pistols or revolvers, and military-grade knives are weapons of choice. Many states do not even have a bag limit.
]
The first recorded release of pigs in Australia was made by ] at ], ] in 1777. This was part of his policy of introducing animals and plants to newly discovered countries. He "carried them (a boar and sow) about a mile within the woods at the head of the bay and there left them by the side of a fresh water brook". The deliberate introduction of pigs into previously pig-free areas seems to have been common. As recently as the early 1970s, pigs were introduced to ], off the east coast of ]. These pigs were eradicated by Department of Agriculture staff with local assistance.<ref name="Statham"/>


One common story about the feral pig population on Flinders Island is that pigs were released when the ship ''City of Foo Chow'' went ashore on the northeast coast of the island in March 1877. On Flinders Island, feral pigs usually invade agricultural areas adjacent to the national park and east-coast swamps. Farmers consider damage caused by the pigs to be minor, as it is restricted to rooting in pasture adjacent to scrubland edges. The total pasture area damaged each year is estimated to be less than 50 hectares. Feral pigs are reported to visit paddocks where ewes are lambing, but no lambs are reported as having been killed. As ], they may scavenge any carcasses left near the scrubland, thus developing a potential "taste" for lamb or mutton. In the ] on the island, the ecosystem has been severely damaged; extensive rooting in the gullies led to water erosion and loss of regenerating forest plants. ] (''Pteridium esculentum'') flourishes in this damaged environment and dominates large areas forming dense stands to about 4 m which prevent light reaching the ].<ref name="Statham"/>
Hunting with dogs is permitted and very common, and has been practiced in the Southeast for generations. Competitions for who can produce the fastest hog dog are rife in the South, with ] in Louisiana being the crown jewel, held every summer since 1995. Preferred scent dogs for catching feral pigs mostly are native breeds, and include the Louisiana ], the ], all members of the ] family, the ], and the ]; catch dogs typically are ] and their crosses, and ]s. The method of hunting has little variation and usually the hunter will send out his bay dogs to chase the hog until it wears out, then a bigger dog will be sent out to catch and hold down the hog (which can get very aggressive) until the hunter can come and kill it.


Since 1987, feral pigs have been considered to be the most important mammalian pest of Australian agriculture.<ref name="Statham">{{cite journal |last1=Statham |first1=M. |last2=Middleton |first2=M. |year=1987 |title=Feral pigs on Flinders Island |journal=Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |volume=121 |pages=121–124|doi=10.26749/rstpp.121.121 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Feral pigs may be a new food source for crocodiles, helping to boost their population.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Osbourne |first1=Margaret |title=Feral Pigs May Have Helped Boost Crocodile Numbers in the Northern Territory, Australia |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/feral-pigs-may-have-helped-boost-crocodile-numbers-in-the-northern-territory-australia-180980084/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |work=] |date=17 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ham |first=Anthony |date=2022-08-15 |title=Pigs to the Rescue: An Invasive Species Helped Save Australia's Crocodiles |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/science/invasive-species-pigs-crocodiles.html |access-date=2022-08-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
No one management technique alone can be totally effective at controlling feral hog populations. Harvest levels of 66% are required to hold Texas feral hog populations steady.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2010/04/FeralHogPopulationGrwothDensityandHervestinTexasedited.pdf |title=Feral Hog Population Growth and Density in Texas |publisher=Texas A&M AgriLife Extension |date=2012-10-00 |accessdate=2014-11-06}}</ref> Best management practices suggest the use of corral traps which have the ability to capture the entire sounder of feral hogs. Additional legal methods should be used as tools to further reduce feral hog populations in an area.


While no incidences of feral pigs killing newborn lambs have been recorded in Australia, the same cannot be said in nearby ], where feral pigs have been seen with some regularity in and around the island nation's capital of ].<ref name="Corlett, Eva @evacorlett">{{cite web|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/27/its-a-scene-wild-pigs-torment-residents-in-new-zealand-capital |title= 'It's a murder scene': feral pigs torment residents in New Zealand capital; Farm just minutes from centre of Wellington estimates it has lost about 60 kid goats in past few months |author=Corlett, Eva @evacorlett |date=26 September 2022 |accessdate=9 April 2023 |website=]}}</ref> Here, they have been documented killing and consuming newborn/juvenile dairy goats kept on farms, separating the youngest goats from the rest of the herd; the feral pigs (which usually raid the farms by cover of darkness) will also threaten any guard dogs present into submission, in order to attack and eat the goat kids. As of September 2022, one single goat farm in the suburb of ] has estimated their total loss to feral hogs to be at least 60 kids.<ref name="Corlett, Eva @evacorlett"/> According to property co-owner Naomi Steenkamp, "It's a murder scene", with the morning revealing evidence of the previous night's carnage—bone fragments, such as bits of hoof and skull, are often all that remain of the helpless young goats. Additionally, Steenkamp has stated that "...If they find something they like eating, and it is a free feed – like a newborn kid – they are going to keep coming back."<ref name="Corlett, Eva @evacorlett"/> The pigs also damage the nesting sites of New Zealand's endemic wildlife, including ] and other ground-nesting and flightless birds, and may target chicks and eggs for food, as well as adult birds.
===Appearances in popular culture===
Following a long tradition of ] images in European ], the razorback serves as an athletic image for the ] in ]. The current live mascot's name is ], a Russian boar. Fans of the team shout a chant derived from a domestic ].


== Fatal attacks on human beings ==
'']'' is also the title of a 1984 Australian horror film directed by ], featuring a murderous and gigantic wild boar terrorizing the ]. Other killer pig films include '']'' (2008) by the late ] and the Korean ] '']'' (2009).
Feral pigs can be dangerous to people, particularly when the pigs travel in herds with their young, and should be avoided when possible. Feral pigs living in the United States have been known to attack without provocation and fatally injure human beings. There have been over 100 documented attacks by feral pigs on human beings in the United States between the years 1825 and 2012. Of these attacks, five have been fatal. Three of the five fatal attacks were by feral pigs wounded by hunters. Both male and female feral pigs are known to attack without provocation, and attacks by solitary males, as well as group attacks have been documented.<ref name="The New York Times 2019">{{cite web | title=Feral Hogs Attack and Kill a Woman in Texas | website=The New York Times | date=2019-11-26 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/us/texas-woman-killed-feral-hogs.html | access-date=2019-12-01}}</ref><ref name="Mayer 2014">{{cite conference | last=Mayer | first=John J. | title=Wild Pig Attacks on Humans | conference=Wildlife Damage Management Conference |book-title=Proceedings of the 15th Wildlife Damage Management Conference | date=2014-04-03 | url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_wdmconfproc/151 | access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1150&context=icwdm_wdmconfproc|title=Wild pig attacks on humans, ''University of Nebraska, Lincoln Peer Reviewed Study''}}</ref>


On November 26, 2019, a 59-year-old Texas woman named Christine Rollins was attacked and killed only a few feet away from the front door of her workplace by a herd of feral pigs in the town of ], which is 50 miles east of Houston. This incident was the fifth documented fatal feral pig attack in the United States since 1825.<ref name="The New York Times 2019"/> ] Sheriff Brian Hawthorne in a formal statement to news media stated that "multiple hogs" assaulted Rollins during pre-dawn hours between 6 and 6:30&nbsp;a.m. when it was still dark outside. The victim died of blood loss as a result of her injuries.<ref name="Johnson 2019">{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Lauren M. | title=Feral hogs in Texas attacked and killed a woman outside a home | website=CNN | date=2019-11-26 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/25/us/feral-hog-death-trnd/index.html | access-date=2019-11-29}}</ref>
An Australian razorback appears in the Disney animated film '']'' (1990). The Razorback is the name of a ] ] in '']''. Razorback is the name of a boar-like humanoid subspecies in the popular massive muliplayer online role-playing game, '']''.


==See also== ==See also==
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
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* * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109151527/http://www.extension.org/feral_hogs |date=November 9, 2015 }}
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{{Pigs}} {{Pigs}}
{{North American Game}} {{North American Game}}


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Latest revision as of 12:51, 20 November 2024

Any type of feral domesticated pig, wild boar, or hybrid "Razorback" redirects here. For the whale species, see Fin whale. For other uses, see Razorback (disambiguation).

Two wild pigs near Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are sometimes used in the United States refer to feral pigs or boar–pig hybrids.

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. Zoologists generally exclude from the feral category animals that, although captive, were genuinely wild before they escaped. 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. 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.

North America

Continental United States

A family of wild pigs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Domestic pigs were first introduced to the Americas in the 16th century. Christopher Columbus intentionally released domestic swine in the West Indies during his second voyage to provide future expeditions with a freely available food supply. Hernando de Soto is known to have introduced Eurasian domestic swine to Florida in 1539, though it is possible that Juan Ponce de León had already introduced the first pigs into mainland Florida in 1521.

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

Feral pigs are a growing problem in the United States and also on the southern prairies in Canada. As of 2013, the estimated population of 6 million feral pigs causes billions of dollars in property and agricultural damage every year in the United States, both in wild and agricultural lands. Their ecological damage may be equally problematic with 26% lower vertebrate species richness in forest fragments they have invaded. Because pigs forage by rooting for their food under the ground with their snouts and tusks, a group of feral pigs can damage acres of planted fields in just a few nights. Due to 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. Feral pigs have been determined to be potential hosts for at least 34 pathogens that can be transmitted to livestock, wildlife, and humans. 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.

By the early 2000s, the range of feral pigs included all of the U.S. 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 2.5–2.6 million feral pigs existing in 253 of its 254 counties, and they cause about $50 million in agriculture damage per year.

Hunting in the United States

A hunted wild pig
Feral pigs being shot from a helicopter, Texas Wildlife Services
A corral-type trap being baited. Food is left to accustom pigs to using the trap as a daily food source; eventually, the gate can be triggered remotely when most or all the members of a sounder are inside the trap

To control feral pig numbers, American hunters have taken to trapping and killing as many individuals as they can. Some, in Texas, have even turned the trapping and killing of razorbacks into small businesses. The meat of wild pigs may be suitable for human consumption; around 461,000 animals killed in Texas between 2004 and 2009 were federally inspected and commercially sold for consumption.

Legal restrictions on methods of hunting are lax, as most state departments of wildlife openly acknowledge feral pigs as an ecological threat and some classify them as vermin. For example, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers them unprotected wild animals with no closed season or harvest limit, and promotes their aggressive removal.

Shooting pigs from a helicopter is legal in Texas; called Heli-Hogging, and can be an effective method, killing as many as 9 to 27 animals per hour. Helicopters can cost from US$400 to US$1000 per hour to operate. These costs are defrayed by selling seats on these helicopter flights to recreational hunters; Texas law only requires that those buying a helicopter hunt be in possession of a hunting license. The method relies on the helicopter flushing pigs into the open where they can be targeted. In some areas, such as the Piney Woods, this may not be possible because of vegetation.

Hunting with dogs is permitted and very common; it has been practiced in the Southeast for generations. Competitions for producing the fastest bay dogs are prevalent in the South, with Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trials in Louisiana a popular example, held every summer since 1995. Preferred scent dogs for catching feral pigs mostly are native breeds, and include the Catahoula Leopard Dog, the Blue Lacy, the Leopard Hound, all six of the Coonhound breeds, and the Blackmouth Cur.

Catch dogs typically are American Pit Bull Terriers and their crosses, the Catahoula (dual purpose), the Dogo Argentino, a dog used for the same purpose in South America, and American Bulldogs; the first of these has been put back to work as a utility breed over the past 30 years and its tenacity on the hunt and undying loyalty to protect its master have made it a popular asset. The method of hunting has little variation: usually, the hunter sends out bay dogs trained to chase the pig until it tires and then corner it; then a bigger catch dog is sent out to catch and hold down the pig, which may get aggressive, until the hunter arrives to kill it.

No single management technique alone can be totally effective at controlling feral pig populations. Harvesting 66% of the total population per year is required to keep the Texas feral pig populations stable. Best management practices suggest the use of corral traps which have the ability to capture the entire sounder of feral pigs. The federal government spends $20 million on feral pig management.

In February 2017, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller approved the use of a pesticide called Kaput Feral Hog Lure, which is bait food laced with warfarin (a rodenticide used to kill rodents).

Canada

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) have become an invasive species in Canada, particularly in western and central regions, following their introduction as livestock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. These animals are hybrid descendants of European wild boars and domestic pigs, and have developed unique adaptations to survive in Canada's cold climate.

Canadian farmers began importing wild boars from Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s for meat production. Some of these animals escaped from farms by digging under or breaking through fences, while others were intentionally released when the boar meat market declined. Initially dismissed as a minor concern due to assumptions about their inability to survive Canadian winters, the population has since grown and spread significantly.

These hybrid pigs can reach weights of up to 600 pounds or more, substantially larger than their European counterparts which typically weigh 220 pounds. They possess several distinctive features:

  • Sharp tusks
  • Bristly coats with thick, warm fur
  • High cold tolerance
  • Large litter sizes (up to six piglets twice per year)
  • Ability to construct "pigloos" - shelter structures made from cattails for winter protection

Research conducted by the University of Saskatchewan has shown that feral pigs have spread throughout western and central Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba. Their range has been expanding since their introduction, with significant population growth documented between 1990 and 2017.

Hawaii

A genetic analysis found that the first pigs were introduced to Hawaii by Polynesians in approximately AD 1200. Additional varieties of European pigs were introduced after Captain Cook's arrival into Hawaii in 1778, where they prey on or eat endangered birds and plants. The population of feral pigs has increased from 2 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 boars that have been introduced for hunters since the early 1990s.

Feral pigs are opportunistic omnivores, with about 85%-90% of their diet being plant matter, and the remainder animal. Plants have difficulties regenerating from their wallowing, as North American flora did not evolve to withstand the destruction caused by rooting pigs, unlike European or Asian flora. Feral pigs in the U.S. eat small animals, mostly invertebrates like insects and worms but also vertebrates such as wild turkey poults, toads, tortoises, and the eggs of reptiles and birds. This can deprive other wildlife that normally would feed upon these important food sources.

In some case, other wildlife are out-competed by the feral pigs' higher reproductive rate; a sow can become pregnant as early as six months old and give birth to multiple litters of piglets yearly. In the autumn, other animals such as the American black bear compete directly with feral pigs as both forage for tree mast (the fruit of forest trees). These are likely reasons that they reduce diversity when they invade.

In the U.S., 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. Other potential predators include the gray wolf, red wolf, cougar, jaguar, American alligator, American black bear, and grizzly bear. Unfortunately, each keystone predator presents problems: the jaguar is extirpated from California and the Southwest. The grizzly bear, 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 also 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 American 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 U.S., but it is expected to take a very long time for these animals to naturally repopulate their former habitat.

South America

In South America, during the early 20th century, free-ranging boars were introduced in Uruguay for hunting purposes and eventually crossed the border into Brazil in the 1990s, quickly becoming an invasive species. Licensed private hunting of both feral boars and their hybrids with domestic pigs was authorized from August 2005 on in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, although their presence as a pest had been already noticed by the press as early as 1994. Releases and escapes from unlicensed farms (established because of increased demand for boar meat as an alternative to pork) continued to bolster feral populations and, by mid-2008, licensed hunts had to be expanded to the states of Santa Catarina and São Paulo.

Recently established Brazilian boar populations are not to be confused with long-established populations of feral domestic pigs, which have existed mainly in the Pantanal for more than 100 years, along with native peccaries. The demographic dynamics of the interaction between feral pig populations and those of the two native species of peccaries (collared peccary and white-lipped peccary) is obscure and is still being studied. The existence of feral pigs could somewhat ease jaguar predation on peccary populations, as jaguars show a preference for hunting pigs when they are available.

Australia

A feral pig in a back yard in Brisbane, Australia, 2009
Distribution of feral pigs in Australia

The first recorded release of pigs in Australia was made by Captain James Cook at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island in 1777. This was part of his policy of introducing animals and plants to newly discovered countries. He "carried them (a boar and sow) about a mile within the woods at the head of the bay and there left them by the side of a fresh water brook". The deliberate introduction of pigs into previously pig-free areas seems to have been common. As recently as the early 1970s, pigs were introduced to Babel Island, off the east coast of Flinders Island. These pigs were eradicated by Department of Agriculture staff with local assistance.

One common story about the feral pig population on Flinders Island is that pigs were released when the ship City of Foo Chow went ashore on the northeast coast of the island in March 1877. On Flinders Island, feral pigs usually invade agricultural areas adjacent to the national park and east-coast swamps. Farmers consider damage caused by the pigs to be minor, as it is restricted to rooting in pasture adjacent to scrubland edges. The total pasture area damaged each year is estimated to be less than 50 hectares. Feral pigs are reported to visit paddocks where ewes are lambing, but no lambs are reported as having been killed. As omnivores, they may scavenge any carcasses left near the scrubland, thus developing a potential "taste" for lamb or mutton. In the Strzelecki National Park on the island, the ecosystem has been severely damaged; extensive rooting in the gullies led to water erosion and loss of regenerating forest plants. Bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum) flourishes in this damaged environment and dominates large areas forming dense stands to about 4 m which prevent light reaching the forest floor.

Since 1987, feral pigs have been considered to be the most important mammalian pest of Australian agriculture. Feral pigs may be a new food source for crocodiles, helping to boost their population.

While no incidences of feral pigs killing newborn lambs have been recorded in Australia, the same cannot be said in nearby New Zealand, where feral pigs have been seen with some regularity in and around the island nation's capital of Wellington. Here, they have been documented killing and consuming newborn/juvenile dairy goats kept on farms, separating the youngest goats from the rest of the herd; the feral pigs (which usually raid the farms by cover of darkness) will also threaten any guard dogs present into submission, in order to attack and eat the goat kids. As of September 2022, one single goat farm in the suburb of Brooklyn has estimated their total loss to feral hogs to be at least 60 kids. According to property co-owner Naomi Steenkamp, "It's a murder scene", with the morning revealing evidence of the previous night's carnage—bone fragments, such as bits of hoof and skull, are often all that remain of the helpless young goats. Additionally, Steenkamp has stated that "...If they find something they like eating, and it is a free feed – like a newborn kid – they are going to keep coming back." The pigs also damage the nesting sites of New Zealand's endemic wildlife, including kiwi and other ground-nesting and flightless birds, and may target chicks and eggs for food, as well as adult birds.

Fatal attacks on human beings

Feral pigs can be dangerous to people, particularly when the pigs travel in herds with their young, and should be avoided when possible. Feral pigs living in the United States have been known to attack without provocation and fatally injure human beings. There have been over 100 documented attacks by feral pigs on human beings in the United States between the years 1825 and 2012. Of these attacks, five have been fatal. Three of the five fatal attacks were by feral pigs wounded by hunters. Both male and female feral pigs are known to attack without provocation, and attacks by solitary males, as well as group attacks have been documented.

On November 26, 2019, a 59-year-old Texas woman named Christine Rollins was attacked and killed only a few feet away from the front door of her workplace by a herd of feral pigs in the town of Anahuac, Texas, which is 50 miles east of Houston. This incident was the fifth documented fatal feral pig attack in the United States since 1825. Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne in a formal statement to news media stated that "multiple hogs" assaulted Rollins during pre-dawn hours between 6 and 6:30 a.m. when it was still dark outside. The victim died of blood loss as a result of her injuries.

See also

References

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