Feral Hog Pros And Cons

The origin of the feral hog problems can be traced to the initial steps to domesticated pigs in the United States. Feral, by common definition means wild and undomesticated and it can be traced back to the 1500’s when domesticated pigs were brought to North America (Timmons, 1). While some of the pigs were kept in enclosed settings, some farmers opted to let their pigs free with a view that they would provide sustainable food sources (Lehr, 10). Nevertheless, the increased food sources prompted some pigs to turn into wild ones. Since pigs breed quickly not forgetting that they have few predators, their population substantially increased. It is the uncontrolled increase in the population level that has led to serious challenges in many parts

The overly populated hogs bring havoc to farmers, land owners and in some cases even people’s safety. Feral hogs destroy land by rutting up valuable soil for crops or even by destroying pre-planted crops. They also put other animals at risk as well due to their overpopulation making the resources in the environment more scarce for other wildlife. These animals travel in large numbers and produce a litter of about 10 piglets twice a year, which keeps the number of the population growing. People realize that hogs are problematic but what they don’t know is how much in damages they cause. Just in Texas alone, feral hogs cause about $52 million dollars per-year in damages (Timmons, 1-2). Nationally, feral hogs cost the nation about $1.5 billion dollars a year in

America’s feral hog problem has been out of hand for far too long, the Noble Foundation Researchers state “for decades, farmers, ranchers and land managers across the United States have fought a losing war against feral hogs” (Nobel Foundation). The invasive animals act as a vires, entering ecosystems and then reproducing a rapid rates, destroying valuable crop lands, endangering native animals, spread disease and pollute waterways. On the other hand, people will say that these hogs are a part of the ecosystem too, and they are just trying to survive just like any other animal within the system. Feral hogs are not native to America, they were brought from overseas by early European explorers. That just shows how much the hog’s population have grown since they arrived here, from just a few to about 5 million (Lehr,