#FeralSwine Population Distribution

Feral Swine: Managing an Invasive Species

Last Modified: April 07, 2026

"The National Feral Swine Damage Management Program has effectively reduced the number of states with feral swine populations and curbed expansion in the U.S. Efforts to reduce the invaded range of feral swine include targeted removal efforts, promoting the reporting of new populations in areas with no known feral swine, and the rapid response and removal of emerging or translocated feral swine. This has led to enhanced public safety and less damage to farmers nationwide.

History of Feral Swine in the Americas

Feral swine are not native to the Americas. They were first brought to the United States in the 1500s by early explorers and settlers as a source of food. Free-range livestock management practices and escapes from enclosures led to the first establishment of feral swine populations within the United States. In the 1900s, the Eurasian or Russian #WildBoar was introduced into parts of the United States for the purpose of sport hunting. Today, feral swine are a combination of escaped #DomesticPigs, Eurasian wild boars, and hybrids of the two."

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/operational-wildlife-activities/feral-swine/distribution

#FeralHogs #InvasiveSpecies #Agriculture

#NewHampshire has its own source for a ‘feral swine bomb’

by David Brooks | Sep 22, 2020

"Anybody who has raised pigs or visited a pig farm knows that while this animal is smart and cute, they can be destructive and mean and dangerous as all get-out. Wild pigs are even more so, which is why their continued spread in the U.S. and Canada is one of the more alarming of the many alarming invasive-species stories out there.

"This Atlantic magazine article (read it here) calls it a '#FeralSwineBomb' which is a great phrase – all three of its word pack a punch. Feral! Swine!! Bomb!!!

"Years ago, reducing #FeralPig populations hardly seemed worth the money, but today these animals are responsible for an estimated $2.5 billion worth of damage in the U.S. each year—mostly by mowing down farmers’ #crops, as well as attacking calves, lambs, and pregnant livestock, and destroying #NativePlants, animals, and precious habitats. A feral pig can host at least 30 viral and bacterial diseases, along with nearly 40 parasites.

"New Hampshire is the one spot in the Northeast with a feral pig population, and it’s due to #CorbinPark, the 25,000-acre private hunting preserve in Sullivan County. The park was established in the 1890’s and stocked with wild pigs, among other animals. They have continued to breed and occasionally escape the 25-mile-long fence.

"Allowing them to stay there is like allowing outdoor breeding of Asian long-horned beetles or some other invasive that produces horrible economic and environmental damage if it spreads. It’s crazy – and what’s crazier is that because of century-old rules, you can’t even shoot the pigs if they escape because they’re considered private property. I wrote about this in January as part of a failed attempt to require hunting licenses in the park (story here)."

Read more:
https://granitegeek.concordmonitor.com/2020/09/22/n-h-has-its-own-source-for-a-feral-swine-bomb/

#FeralSwine #FeralHogs #InvasiveSpecies #Agriculture #NativeSpecies #EnvironmentalCatastrophe

So, #PlainfieldNH is not far from #CorbinPark (more about that in the next post)...

Camera in Upper Valley captures apparent sight of #FeralHog

Wildlife officials say they want to track down animal, test it for diseases

Oct 6, 2022 by Hannah Cotter

PLAINFIELD, N.H. — "A resident of New Hampshire's Upper Valley captured video of what appears to be a feral hog in her Plainfield backyard, and wildlife officials are now trying to track it down.

"Experts said feral hogs aren't found in New Hampshire or the surrounding area, so this one might have escaped from someone who relocated it to the state.

"Wildlife experts said #FeralHogs are considered to be escaped private property (!!!) , so without knowing who owns it, it's not legal to shoot it. (!!!)

"David Allaben, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said they can be a nuisance for landowners.

" 'They eat native #wildlife, young fawns, anything they can get a hold of. Turkey nests, #BirdNests, nesting birds on the ground, #turtles, you name it," Allaben said. 'They're opportunistic feeders -- they eat anything.'

"David Allaben said anyone who sees the hog should contact his office so it can be tracked down and tested for disease.

" ;Once we remove them, we take several samples — blood samples, tissue samples,' Allaben said. "We're testing for a whole variety of different diseases, because our fear is if they get in with domestic swine, these backyard pigs and stuff, they can spread whatever disease to that particular animal, and then we have a problem. And that's one reason we want to get them off the landscape as quickly as possible."

"The USDA is working to get permission to track the hog and remove it from the property.

"The homeowner that captured the video said the animal did not damage any of her property, but she's keeping her cameras on just in case it comes back."

Sourcce:
https://www.wmur.com/article/upper-valley-new-hampshire-feral-hog-10622/41548757

#FeralSwine #FeralHogs
#InvasiveSpecies #Agriculture #NativeSpecies #NewHampshire
#EnvironmentalCatastrophe

@DoomsdaysCW No shooting a feral hog in the state with “live free or die” as its motto?

Curious if it is an escape from the rich people hunting club or migrant from further south, descended from pigs introduced by conquistadores centuries ago.