Porcine Press – Goings On Around The World
I haven’t had a chance to do this in a while, but tonight I spent some time cruising through my news feeds to see what’s happening in the world of wild hogs, boar, and pigs. There’s no way I can bring you all up to speed on all that we’ve missed, but here are a couple of tidbits that I had to share.
First, this is from ABC Rural News (ABC, in this case, is Australian Broadcasting Company), about the impact, or lack thereof, that recreational hunters are having on the overpopulation of hogs in that country. I’ve mentioned before that hunters participating under fair chase principles simply won’t do what it takes to eradicate hogs, and that certainly seems to be the case in Australia.
Recreational hunting is a favourite pastime of many people in regional areas, but Dr Carol Booth, from the Invasive Species Council, says unco-ordinated shooting does little to reduce feral populations.
“It’s been estimated for some areas that you need to reduce pig populations by something like 70 per cent to actually achieve a reduction in the population the following year,” he says.
It’s an interesting reality check.
Another article from the BBC discusses the recent deaths of a couple of reintroduced wild boar in a Scottish forest. The disease angle is interesting enough, but what really caught my attention was the rationale for reintroducing these beasts… because they control the undergrowth and keep brush under control.
The animals were released in a bid to aid the regeneration of ancient Caledonian woodland.
Trees for Life is keeping the surviving boar in a 30.4 acre enclosure in an area of ancient birch wood.
It hopes the animal will control the spread of bracken which shades out other wild plants.
Of course, in Scotland and Britain wild boar are, after all, native to that landscape. It does make me wonder what the real impacts of wild hogs would be on US habitat. Isn’t it possible that, in the big picture, they may actually offer some benefits?
That’s just a taste of what’s going on with hogs around the world. Thought ya’ll might find it interesting.
In native habitat, the flora, soil, watersheds, and other habitat pieces have adapted with the fauna, which is why reintroduction of native species is never seen as a threat. In the absence of native species, other natives can, in fact, become a nuisance to the habitat as a whole (see sea otters and sea urchin, for example).
There exists the possibility that new species with characteristics similar to earlier, extirpated species, or species that provide some habitat benefits in new or pressured habitat, might should at least be allowed to stay (I blogged about this recently). However, the benefit of the doubt really should go in favor of protecting the native habitat from incursions, with studies to follow.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I think it is definitely interesting to see wild boar introduced into an area in order for them to help the surrounding environment. You surely wouldn’t ever see that happening in the states, although the hogs aren’t native here either.
I often wonder about the “benefits” of wild hogs as well, but it doesn’t seem that any of our local DNR branches are seeing it that way.
March 1st, 2010 at 6:59 am
No need to look very far. Tejon has a big population of pigs but at the same time had healthy grasslands. I believe these pigs help fertilizer and aid in aerating the soil with their rooting.
Overpopulation is damaging to the environment — whatever is the species.
March 1st, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Heya Josh, I totally get the risk involved in bringing a non-native to a new environment, and in general, I agree with the need to avoid that at every opportunity. But when it comes to wild and feral hogs, I’m just getting the feeling that the risks are being overblown.
Why? Maybe there’s some coordinated effort by the livestock industry (who have several legitimate concerns). Maybe it’s the emotion-over-science “environmentalists” who can’t see past a narrow piece of the bigger picture. Or maybe it’s the hunting interests who want to keep the public’s support for hog hunting.
I don’t know.
Like any of these things, I’m sure the environmental concerns stem from best intentions. But with the exception of threats to some endangered species, the massive environmental damage just doesn’t seem to be forthcoming… and really, the hogs are extremely well established. They are not the end of the world.
I do agree with Beastslayer that overpopulation is certainly a problem, regardless of species. That is a situation that needs to be monitored and controlled, but for the most part, I don’t think we’re seeing overpopulation of hogs in most of the country.
I’m not suggesting that the states open up their arms to the encroachment of wild hogs. I think it’s generally advisable to try to keep them out of habitats where they’re not already established. But in TX, CA, FL, HI, and a few other states where they’re firmly entrenched, it’s time to look at the “problem” as one of wildlife management and NOT eradication.
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:52 am