Are Feral Hogs Dangerous?

There are not only dangers to safety of humans and livestock due to feral hogs, but agricultural destruction as well. Here are the most typical hazards due to these menacing and predatory animals.

Rooting: Because feral hogs become semi-nomadic when searching for food, they can cause damage over a wide area of land. Wild boars have a flattened snout which they use to root, or dig, in the soil to find their food sources. These nuisances need high protein nutrition for survival. Their rooting is not normally an area of small damage, but one that destroys several acres because they will continue to root an area until it is depleted of food and nutrients. Livestock then have to compete with the feral hog invasion in order to consume enough nutrition to keep they healthy.

Rooting is not only dangerous for livestock's nutritional needs, but it can injure the animals if they get caught up in the troughs or mounds. These troughs can also cause a severe amount of damage to farm and agricultural equipment. When the nutrients and plant life are depleted, the farmer or rancher is more likely to see the weeds begin to consume the pastures as they require less ground fertilization and stability to grow.

Diseases: Wild boars often harbor endemic and uncommon diseases and are known to transmit parasites to livestock and humans. The continuing of a wild boar increased population will allow the increased opportunity for disease and parasites to spread to livestock. Common external parasites transmitted by wild hogs are fleas, hog lice and ticks. Roundworms, liver flukes, kidney worms, lung worms, and whip worms are frequently spread from the internal parasites of wild boars. These parasites not only effect the coat and outer protection the livestock has from the elements and for the profit capability of the animal, but it also effects the ability of the animal to put on and maintain weight. Swine brucellosis is a bacterial disease which, once infected, the hog carries the disease for life. This disease can cause severe flue to arthritis and meningitis. Humans can be treated with antibiotics and potentially cured, however, for livestock there is no cure. Livestock can be infected with Psuedorabies through direct contact with an infected animal, by consuming contaminated feed or water, or direct contact with contaminated equipment. Psuedorabies causes nervous system damage as it attacks the central nervous system through viral infection. It is important to maintain a strict vaccination program with livestock if there is a possibility of contact with feral hogs.

Reproduction: The population of feral hogs in Texas and other areas of the United States where they are common is explosive due to their high reproductive rates. Breeding of the feral hogs occurs throughout the year when they find the conditions favorable with their food supply and nutrient value of such food. One of the main reasons why their reproductive rate is astonishing is their females begin breeding as young as eight months old, six months old if the food is abundant. With each litter averaging between eight to thirteen piglets per litter, you can see why it would take no time at all for these animals to take over an area. The other issue with their reproduction is their sex ratio is 1:1. So for every sow that is born there is a boar to mate her. Sows also can produce a litter typically between every twelve to fifteen months, however, this time frame decreases if the conditions are favorable. Therefore, if you live on acreage with a good supply of water, nutrients, and crop, it is not shocking that your hog population would sky rocket. In the most favorable conditions, a sow can produce 13 piglets every 9 months with a ratio of 1:1 and her sow offspring can then produce the same influx six months after birth.

Mob Mentality: Typically the feral hogs travel in sounders, or family groups, which are composed of two or more sows and their offspring. If a wild boar is seen alone, you can assume that it is not a sow as sows mob together, while boars are usually solitary and only join a group when breeding. Piglets are weaned two to three months after birth, but remain with their mother until they are isolated from her having another litter or they are mated themselves and then create their own pact. These sounders, or mobs, can be anywhere from two to fifty individuals depending on the season, climate, and food scarcity. I call them mobs as they come in force, destroy, take what they want, bully up on younger prey including livestock, and tend to stick together when threatened. Movements of the feral hogs are normally random throughout the season as they follow not a distinctive migrating pattern, but simply follow their needs for food and shelter.