The Hog Blog

I realize that even though the Ethics Roundtable is going pretty well, I haven’t been posting all that much the last couple of weeks.  I really need to go hunting. 

There’s a lot going on out there in the world of hogs and hunting, so how about we take a quick look around to see who’s doing what?

First of all, my friend and fellow Skinny Moose blogger, Moose, has been covering the recent upswing in feral hog stories back in North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  According to this article, the Eurasian hogs that have been there for decades are now being supplemented by feral hogs, which may or may not have been released by hunters.  They’re being blamed for significant damage to the Smoky Mountain ecosystem, and the park system folks are trying hard to come up with a solution.  Moose also had another story earlier about more hogs in the Tarheel State, this time in the central part of the state.  They’re spreading fast!

Down in South Carolina, feral hogs have been around for a while, but the State is apparently ready to do something drastic, at least with the animals living on one of the coastal islands.  According to this article in the Myrtle Beach Sun Times, the State will be bringing in hunters to control the population of hogs on North Island, a small barrier island on the ocean side of Winyah Bay.  Barrier islands are generally small, delicate ecosystems that provide nesting and shelter for many sea birds, sea turtles, and other creatures.  I can see where a burgeoning wild hog population would be unwelcome there.

“Feral hogs have continued to multiply on the island, causing destruction to the landscape and native plants, jeopardizing the nesting success of ground-nesting birds as well as sea turtle nests scattered along the beaches of (the island),’’ said Jamie Dozier, wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

DNR officials hope the hunts can put a major dent in the hog population and help preserve the island. The hunts are part of an overall hog removal project on the Yawkey Wildlife Center. The agency will allow three, two-day hog hunts with dogs to take place on North Island only in February. The weekend hunts are scheduled for Feb. 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27 from sunrise to sunset only. North Island is only accessible after crossing Winyah Bay by boat and contains 1,410 acres of uplands and 1,703 acres of marsh. 

So all you SC hunters, here’s an opportunity to get in some hog hunting, fill your freezers, and help out the environment all in a weekend or two!  Step up!

Heading all the way over to Texas, a quick glance of recent news stories about wild hogs and boar shows a stack of articles like this one, all clamoring about the continued spread of these animals across the state.  The tone is almost always the same:

Feral hogs root and trample for acorns and other food, sometimes taking out large areas of crops or pasture. They are omnivorous and will also eat eggs, particularly those of ground-nesting turkeys, as well as small animals. The hogs are blamed for more than $52 million in losses to agriculture in the state each year, and are also blamed for water quality problems.

They can pass along diseases like brucellosis and pseudorabies (not related to rabies) to other wild and domestic animals. Tests conducted for the Texas Animal Health Commission show that about 20 percent of the hogs tested carried pseudorabies and about 10 percent carried brucellosis.

These concerns are very real, and have led Texas to allow some pretty harsh measures to control the spread, including night hunting and even aerial depredation.  The war is on!

What’s being done?  Well, many things as I’ve called out here before.  I know it’s a hot topic in a lot of places, and a lot of folks are talking.  There’s a Wild Pig Conference scheduled for April, in Pensacola, Florida… another state that’s currently “under seige” by feral pigs.  Here’s what it’s all about:

Damage caused by wild pigs is one of the greatest concerns to wildlife biologists and managers today. Wild pigs have the potential to cause ecological and economical destruction far surpassing any other invasive exotic vertebrate. The adaptive and prolific nature of these animals along with their capabilities for widespread devastation places their management as one of the top priorities for wildlife scientists. The International Wild Pig Conference is the only forum in the world that provides federal, state, and private stakeholders a venue to discuss biological, financial, and social implications specific to wild pig subsistence in our ecosystems. The conference will assemble experienced managers as well as those new to the wild pig industry in a professional, educational atmosphere.

(NOTE:  If any magazine editors or wealthy benefactors are reading this right now, I could sure use a sponsor to cover my costs to attend this conference.)

That’s about it for right now.  I’ve got some hunts coming up soon, so maybe I can finally get back to what I love… and write about something more fun than ethics debates or lead-free ammo!

My friend John, over at the Western Wanderer blog knows I”ve been trying to keep up with the spread of hogs across the U.S.  He was kind enough to send me this heads up from the Capital Press, an online agricultural news source.

You can read the article for yourselves, of course, but in summary, the ID farmers and authorities are concerned about the spread of wild hogs, apparently introduced by hunters (!!!).  The concern, of course, stems from the possibility that the swine carry diseases that can be transmitted to the livestock.  A single outbreak of brucellosis or pseudorabies can put a rancher out of business… and a major outbreak can shut down the whole region. 

I think the concerns over disease are maybe a little overblown, but they are realistic.  But what gets me is this part of the report:

In his communications with state and federal agencies, McDonnell said it is believed that hound hunters in the Bruneau Valley imported the Eurasian feral hogs from California, bred them to domestic hogs and released several trailer loads of the offspring in the area last year.

Oakey said officials are still trying to determine how the hogs got here, who is responsible and how many exist. They are also trying to determine which agency will have jurisdiction over the issue. USDA-APHIS and Idaho Fish & Game are also involved.

“We’re putting together a plan we can go to the governor with and show the agencies are working together,” said Idaho State Veterinarian Bill Barton.

The agencies’ first priorities are to determine the validity of reports, the extent of the problem and to put together a management plan to handle the issue, he said.

Charges could be filed in the incident, Oakey said.

I love hog hunting, I truly do.  And I can understand how some folks would want to have the experience in their own backyards (relatively).  But I can’t get behind the mindset of bringing in a known invasive, non-native species and turning it loose uncontrolled in a new habitat.  And yeah, I know that’s been the history behind many popular game species in this country… but most of that happened before folks understood the impacts of these actions. 

ID officials don’t think the population has grown very large at this point, but they don’t know the real extent.  I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there are a lot more animals than they expect, though.  I’m interested in hearing what they do determine, and how they plan to manage the hogs. 

Thanks for sending this along, John!

I’ve read and shared an awful lot of stories from around the world regarding the environmental destruction caused by the wild boar and feral hogs.  Still though, if you read the reports carefully, folks seem to be most concerned about the possibility of damage and destruction… while there’s often little evidence of the actual incidence.   (Yes, the damage to actriculture is very real, but that’s a different story.)  Theoretically, of course, some of these fears are feasible, but you have to wonder just how bad these animals are on habitat.

With that in mind, it was refreshing to see this very different story about wild boar in the BBC news. 

Rather than being another tale about eradication or displacement, this one is about wild boar being reintroduced into the Caledonian forest in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire.  The hope is that the hogs will control the growth of bracken, which tends to grow quickly in the understory and choke out other plants. 

I have to note that the wild boar is native to the area, so the introduction isn’t quite the same as turning hogs loose here in the U.S.  It’s likely that the extinction of the wild boar in the area had a lot to do with the overgrowth of bracken, so this is simply the repair of some damages done by man in the first place. 

But it does illustrate the possibility that wild hogs may play positive roles in the habitat, and that their appearance in certain areas may not be the ecological kiss of death that some folks would have us believe.  As I’ve said before, I think we need a lot more objective research into the impact that wild hogs have.  In some cases, a solid management plan may actually be much better for the habitat than continued eradication efforts. 

It definitely bears consideration.

Here’s one from the, “Well, I can’t come up with anything on my own,” file. 

I’ve written a time or two about the massive expansion of wild/feral hogs in the States.  Folks in Texas, Florida, and California can certainly say something on that topic.  But from what I just read in the Speigel online news, the US has nothing on Europe when it comes to a wild boar invasion. 

According to the article, German hunters killed somewhere in the neighborhood of 450,000 wild boar over the last season.  In France, another 500,000 were killed, while Poland is lagging with a harvest of around 200,000 hogs.  That’s a lot of pork chops!  But more seriously, that’s a lot of crop damage.

The Spiegel article points out that the spread of the wild boar is possibly due to manmade factors, not the least of which is new agricultural practices.  Approximately 27% of Germany is under cultivation for maize, rape seed, and wheat.  Additionally, due to the recent warm winters, Europe has seen a bumper crop of acorns and chestnuts. 

It’s interesting stuff, no doubt.  I’d definitely recommend giving it a read if you have time.  What happens in Europe can’t be far from happening here too.

I just realized how long it’s been since I did an edition of the Porcine Press!  Well, let’s remedy that right now!

First of all, according to this piece in the Ohio Farmer online,  it looks like a group of researchers have managed to map out the genome for the domestic pig.  Sure, that may not sound like much to some folks, but this opens the doors to a lot of great research, not only into pigs and their spread throughout the world, but also into medical and environmental science!  

The draft sequence, which is about 98% complete, will allow researchers to pinpoint genes that are useful to pork production or are involved in immunity or other important physiological processes in the pig. It will enhance breeding practices, offer insight into diseases that afflict pigs (and, sometimes, also humans) and will assist in efforts to preserve the global heritage of rare, endangered and wild pigs. It also will be important for the study of human health because pigs are very similar to humans in their physiology, behavior and nutritional needs.

A scan of headlines related to wild boar shows several recent attacks on humans, from Krakow, Poland, to China and Korea. 

In Korea, according to the JoonAng Daily, the Environment Ministry has responded by authorizing an increase in the hunting quota from a little over 8,000 to 20,000 animals!   According to the article, there are over 40,000 boar in the region, and there has been a significant increase in reported sightings and  attacks. 

“If we increase the quota of permissible hunting and capture more, roaming loose, wild boar living in the neighboring areas will move to other regions, easing the dense population,” said Choi Jong-won, an official at the ministry’s nature resources division.

Good luck with that! 

Meanwhile, parts of Texas are making the best of their feral hog infestation with at least a couple of big celebrations coming down the pike. 

In Tyler, TX:

Hog chases, a Fall feral hog follies pageant, and the crowning of Miss Hog Queen 2009. It was all just a snapshot of the events that made this year’s Feral Hog Festival in Ben Wheeler unique. The festival is found only in East Texas.

And then in Fannin County, TX:

Residents of Fannin County, the outdoor playground for the Metroplex, welcome feral hog hunters to Fannin County November 13-15 for the inaugural Wild Hog Hunt.

The first annual Wild Hog Roundup for Fannin County will be held Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15, 2009. 

This is a hunting tournament for feral hogs only.  Cash prizes will be awarded Sunday afternoon for the biggest and most caught/killed by a single hunter or team.

Early registration/entry fee of $200 – $250 after November 10, 2009. Saturday evening dinner and Sunday awards-dinner included.

All hunters must be licensed. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For event details and rules, go to texas-re.tripod.com or contact Mike Michaud at 903-640-0888 or mmichaud@fanninfun.com

 Man, I wish I were in TX… or even better, if this blog paid for me to visit events like these!  Ahh.. if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.

Anyway, that’s enough for now.

Here’s a short edition of the Porcine Press, thanks to our friend and fellow blogger, Josh. 

From the sounds of this article in the Fresno Bee, the hogs are really getting down to work in Fresno lately, and the farmers are feeling their bite. 

These days, the pigs are venturing from the foothills in eastern and western Fresno County to devour oranges, almonds, grapes and vegetables on Valley farms.

Their rooting can destroy berms and rip through irrigation lines. While many of the pigs average about 100 pounds, some have grown much larger.

Of course, the farmers are fighting back:

At Harris Farms River Ranch near Sanger, as many as 200 pigs have been caught and killed over the last several years.

“We are one of the first green things they see when they come out of the foothills,” said Rod Radtke, ranch manager at Harris Farms. “And they have really taken advantage out here.”

Radtke said the pigs have ripped through lawns and flower beds, yanked low-hanging oranges off trees, gobbled grape bunches and trampled sprinkler equipment. The pigs have also found their way into the feeders and water troughs used for the farm’s thoroughbred racehorses.

“We have knocked them back quite a bit, but we know they are not gone completely,” Radtke said.

What’s it all mean? 

Well, the central coast farmers are already familiar with the risks to crops and property these hogs pose.  Crop damage is already high, and likely to go higher.  And as the article points out, nothing seems to be stopping them, despite depredation hunting, sport hunting, and natural predators.  The tide can be slowed, but not stopped.

Despite the lead ban and the insane price increase of the pig tags a couple of years ago (from about $15 for a book of five to $19.70 for a single tag), hog hunting is still growing in popularity in this state.  Maybe it would help to open up more private lands to hunters.  Or maybe we just need more depredation hunters. 

I don’t know the answer, but one thing is for sure.  This story in Fresno is only one of the many we’ll be continuing to see as wild hogs spread out across the country.

This one caught my attention as I was browsing through hog-related news.  I caught it in the Knoxville News Sentinel online version.  This is a pretty good upswing over the number of hogs trapped and killed in recent years, which the experts quoted in the article attribute to a healthy food supply the past few years.

Biologists attribute the increase to several years of bountiful mast. Like black bears, the reproductive rates of wild hogs are highly dependent on good mast crops, especially acorns.

The article first got my attention because it is set in my home state, but as I read more it got to the following:

The park’s hog population traces back to the early 1920s, when a herd of European wild hogs escaped from a game reserve on Hooper’s Bald in Graham County, N.C. By the 1940s, the wild hogs had spread into other counties as well as the Smokies.

The relevance?  George Gordon Moore owned that ranch, and brought several of those hogs with him to the San Carlos Ranch in Carmel, CA.   They may well be direct relatives of the hog Kat shot out there earlier this year! 

OK, maybe that’s really only noteworthy to me, but I dig these little coincidences. 

Anyway, check out the article if you’re interested.  It’s online at the Knoxnews site.

Well, some of you may think me remiss for only now posting this, since it’s been making the rounds since the weekend.  Maybe I am, but I thought the Lead Ban articles were more important than another picture of another mondo-hog.  Besides, I expect most of you have seen it already.  Thanks, though, to Dan for sending the pictures to me in email.

But it is one HECK of a hog. 

There’s more to the story, and you can read some of it in many different places.  The place I found the most interesting version of the tale, however, was on a site called “Hoax-Slayer“. 

What makes the Hoax Slayer article most interesting is the date… August of 2006.  Of course, folks who read most of the current articles did notice that the story has been floating around for a few years.  It didn’t just happen, although many of the emails in circulation right now are making claims to the contrary. 

According to more current reports, a farmer/rancher named John Anick has claimed that he is the man in the picture, that the pig is real, and that his family has been keeping the secret for nearly three years because they were afraid the publicity would bring poachers onto their property. 

Personally, I think the size of the hog and the story surrounding it are perfectly feasible.  It’s certainly big, but not insanely large for a feral pig, weighing in at around 485lbs.  There’s also nothing at all unusual about the fact that the pig was shot eating a dead cow, as this is something I’ve personally observed many times in the field. 

In fact, there’s nothing particularly newsworthy about this story at all… until the Internet myth-makers got their imaginations on it.  It’s not a world-record, nor is it even close to the size of the Georgia “hogzilla”, or of “Fred”, the so-called, “Monster Pig.”  It’s just a big, feral pig. 

But yeah, let me kill a 500 lb boar and I’ll have his picture on the Internet too!

Now for your saccharine sweet moment of the week, I bring you this tidbit from the Spiegel Online International news about “Manni” the piglet and his new friend, “Candy”, the Jack Russell Terrier. 

According to the article, Manni was found abandoned and starving in a field, and the family brought him in, bottle-fed him back to health, and introduced him to the family dog. 

The family also introduced the perky porker to their Jack Russell terrier Candy. It turned out to be a match made in hog heaven. According to Dahlhaus, “the pair play together every day. They play hide and seek, romp around in the hedges and bushes and just have a lot of fun together.” Apparently Manni, who is now five weeks old, is even figuring out how to communicate with Candy — he’s learning to bark.

Sound crazy?  It’s not, really. 

Most of us know how intelligent pigs are.  They are easy to domesticate, and actually can become very good pets.  We had a sow when I was a kid, and that thing learned to do everything my Lab puppy would do, including retrieving a tennis ball, bringing me a food dish when I called “dinner time”, and swimming with us in the tidal creeks.  Unfortunately for “Petunia”, she became the main course at a fund-raising pig pickin’. 

According to the article, Manni won’t see any such fate.  Although Mr. Dalhaus, the fellow who rescued her is a hunter, he’s guaranteed that Manni will remain a family pet.

This came in yesterday, but it got bumped by the Peregrine Fund’s lead ammo report.  Oh well…

A few days back, I posted up a news story from Michigan about a couple who’d killed a whole herd of feral hogs in their backyard, including a real monster of a sow.  Well… as Paul Harvey (RIP) put it, here’s the rest of the story…

Turns out, the hogs were actually regular escapees from a neighboring farm that had been “terrorizing” the neighborhood for quite a while. 

From the story:

Neighbors of a Muskegon County couple who shot and killed four large feral pigs say the animals are the same ones that have been terrorizing their home. The neighbors believe the pigs escaped from a local farm.

“Those pigs have gotten out several times and they tried to attack me and my mother’s dog”, says Kelly Knife. She couldn’t believe it when she saw the WZZM story about a local couple who shot four pigs. She says they are the same pigs that have been escaping from the farm next door, for years. “It’s so hard to go outside during the summer because you don’t feel safe if they get out.”

Sounds like no one except the farmer is going to be sorry to see the animals go.  Even so, this may dash the hopes of prospective hog hunters in that part of Michigan.  Sorry, Arthur.