- Author: Anne Schellman
- Contributor: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
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...
![Wild pigs drinking and swimming in a cattle trough. [Grant Canova-Parker]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/41876small.jpg)
Domestic pigs are a familiar farm animal, but have you heard about wild pigs? These animals are destructive pests with voracious appetites and eat a wide variety of plants and animals. It's estimated wild pigs cause $1.5 billion in economic damage to agriculture and the environment in California every year!
Where Did They Come From?
Domestic pigs were released in California in 1769 to be raised for consumption. Some of these pigs were not recaptured and became feral. In the 1920's, Russian wild boars were brought to California for sport hunting. Since both types of pigs belong to the same species, they interbred. Their descendants are called wild pigs.
Why are They a Problem?
Male wild pigs can weigh...
