- Author: Anne Schellman
- Contributor: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Published on: June 4, 2018
It may surprise you to learn that California is home to invasive wild pigs, also called feral hogs or wild boars. Wild pigs can be a major nuisance for farmers, ranchers, and others who live in more rural areas or near wildlands. They will invade fields and eat crops, disturb plantings by rooting through the soil, and defecate in fields leaving behind bacteria and parasites.
How did these pigs become wild?
As is the case with many introduced invasive species, wild pigs were an accidental creation. Spanish missionaries brought domestic pigs to California in 1769 for consumption, but after being released for foraging and not recaptured, they escaped domestication and became feral (wild). These feral pigs...
Focus Areas:
Tags: disease (52), domestic livestock (1), economic damage (2), feral (3), pathogens (7), pest notes (118), pests (73), UC IPM (373), wild pigs (3)
Focus Area Tags: Pest Management, Yard & Garden
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