Invasive Species We Study: Feral Pigs
Feral pigs are invasive animals first introduced in the continental United States during the 1500s by European sailors. The animals are a problem across the Southeastern and the Western United States. Large numbers exist on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, as a result of illegal releases and high reproductive rates. With adequate nutrition, breeding occurs throughout the year. Females often breed at less than a year old and can produce two litters in a year with an average of four to eight piglets per litter. Large predators of swine, such as wolves and mountain lions, have been extirpated from most of the area where feral swine range, leaving few natural controls. Feral swine are known to spread more than 30 diseases and 37 parasites, including swine brucellosis and pseudorabies, which can have devastating effects on livestock and wildlife.
Feral Pig Research
Explore our science using the publications below.
Abundance and distribution of feral pigs at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, 2010-2013
A preliminary study of effects of feral pig density on native Hawaiian montane rainforest vegetation
Satellite tracking and geospatial analysis of feral swine and their habitat use in Louisiana and Mississippi
The history of mammal eradications in Hawai`i and the United States associated islands of the Central Pacific
No evidence of interference competition among the invasive feral pig and two native peccary species in a Neotropical wetland
Swine Influenza's Promiscuous Past, Present, and Future
Efficacy of feral pig removals at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Feral pigs are invasive animals first introduced in the continental United States during the 1500s by European sailors. The animals are a problem across the Southeastern and the Western United States. Large numbers exist on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, as a result of illegal releases and high reproductive rates. With adequate nutrition, breeding occurs throughout the year. Females often breed at less than a year old and can produce two litters in a year with an average of four to eight piglets per litter. Large predators of swine, such as wolves and mountain lions, have been extirpated from most of the area where feral swine range, leaving few natural controls. Feral swine are known to spread more than 30 diseases and 37 parasites, including swine brucellosis and pseudorabies, which can have devastating effects on livestock and wildlife.
Feral Pig Research
Explore our science using the publications below.