Porcine Press – Wild Boar in Kennedy Country?
The wild hog invasion continues!
My fellow Skinny Moose Network blogger, Mary Ward, the SledChick, shared the following article regarding a wild boar killed on the highway in Massachusetts. The article, from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette said the boar was found in a place where there are no known populations of wild hogs.
Monte D. Chandler of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Amherst said there are no feral pigs, feral swine or Russian boar populations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
“If they are present, they are something that escaped from someone,” he said.
Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for the state Executive office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, agreed with Mr. Chandler’s assessment.
“There is no native population of boars or feral hogs in Massachusetts,” she said.
Ms. Capone states the obvious, of course… as there is no “native” population of pigs anywhere in the U.S. However, it looks like MA may now join the ranks of states that have non-native populations, as when there’s one, there are usually more.
How much further will they go? My money says, “look out, America, they’ll be in your state soon!”
Yeah I got a kick out of those comments. The fact that Russian boars are not Native Americans notwithstanding, to imply that there is no way this creature was living wild in Massachusetts (which is what I took from those comments) without modern human involvement seems very short-sited. They list New Hampshire and Vermont as having wild boars, but don’t think they could have trekked as far as one state south?
If you watch the interview with Chet Hall on the Boston news, you’ll hear his theory that the boar was living on thousands of unhunted acres on/around a former Army base (Fort Devens). But God forbid these “experts” admit that that’s a possibility!
October 25th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Yupp.. the spread of wild hogs across this country is a really interesting story. Denial from “officials” certainly isn’t going to make addressing it any better… although, to be fair, I’m not sure if the folks they interviewed were actually denying the possibility of a population in MA or if they were just commenting on how unusual it would be.
I’d love to know if the hog in this story is a true european boar, or if it’s a feral. DNA testing is really the only positive way of knowing, but the answer would be valuable to determine how the state should proceed.
If the animal is a true “euro”, then it had to have escaped or been released from a facility where they are raised. If this is the case, then this may very well have been a solo case. Hogs can and do travel a LONG ways, so it’s entirely possible this one came up from PA or over from VT. Not sure if MA has fenced preserves, but many states do (no time or inclination for research right now). That’s the only place where a true euro is likely to have come from, although isolated groups of escaped/released euros are becoming established in some places.
If the animal is feral, then it’s highly likely that there is an established population in the area. A large military installation would be the ideal place for a population to grow, since it’s not likely to be too heavily travelled by civilians. However, if there’s a breeding population there, it will eventually spread outside the reservation.
Lots of questions, and I’m sure the MA conservation agencies are looking into the answers… or at least I’d hope they are.
October 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Yeah I know what you mean. There’s no way of knowing what was said before and after those quotes. Still, sounds like denial to me.
Fort Devens closed years ago but there are still large tracts of it where no hunting is allowed. The Oxbow sanctuary is also in that area, another big land tract with (obviously) no hunting. Now, if they could maybe explain to the boar that it shouldn’t exceed those boundaries….
To my knowledge there are no fenced preserves in/around there. I could be wrong, it’s still and hour + from me. I just think it’s silly to assume/deny/imply that these populations can’t be moving around, especially in light of all the migration overpopulation has forced as of late.
Like you said, some testing would maybe answer some questions. I haven’t heard any talk of that though. Maybe I should get my Dad to ask his neighbor, (Chet Hall) who got the boar, if he knows if any samples were taken.
Will be interesting to see if anything comes of this at all or if it’s already just an amusing story on the Boston station.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Them Hogs, They is a comin’! Like’s it ‘R’ not, They is a comin’
On another note, I have been reluctant to mention this for a long time Phillip for fear of being ridiculed but, now I have reached the age of “I don’t give a darn’ what people think” Dang’ It!
When I was just a wee lad I discovered the BEST! wild hog callin’ method ever found!
My method has been proven time and again and it beats all of the fancy “Hog Calls” out on the market today.
No, it is not screaming out “Suuuieeee” at the top of your lungs but a rather un-traditional method which I will share with you and, before you laugh yourself silly, just go and try it once for yourself and see.
Tortilla Corn Chips!
Just sit down in an area with lots of fresh hog sign, prop yourself up against a large tree and begin munching them corn chips with (what your mama would cringe and wince at) a loud and open mouthed crunching and lip smacking sound of them tasty chips.
Be sure to carry them in a cloth bag because the crinkling of the plastic ones do not coincide with the NATURAL smacking and crunching sound of a big hog who has found himself somthin’ gooood to eat!
Pass this along to the folks over in the Colony States and they can rid themselves of the pesky critters in no time flat because, those guys there can spot light em’, and legally too!
October 26th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Does Tostitos give you a commission for that, T?
Actually, sounds like it makes perfect sense.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I will try and patent this idea of mine Mary and then, contact them! can’t be too careful these days you know.
But seriously, if you have ever sat and listened to a sounder of swine, in pitch blackness, as they feast upon a mess of grain ie: corn, the noise which they produce sounds exactly the same as a person munching open mouthed, upon corn chips.
And this sound will actually carry to attract more hogs as they all quickly scramble to investigate the scrumptious cacophony of a feast in progress.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:47 am
That is really interesting. I would have thought after a while every state would have some population of Feral pigs. Maybe the climate is not conducive to them up there? Thanks for the story!
November 18th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Hiya Hunting Videos, and welcome to the HogBlog.
Most experts agree that we’ll soon (within the decade by some accounts) have hogs in parts of all 50 states. They can survive almost any climate, and can eat almost anything.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:57 pm