US has ‘out of control’ population of ‘super pigs’, says expert

America’s wild pig population is increasing and multiplying rapidly, and experts describe it as a “wild pig bomb” underway, according to a new report.

There are roughly nine million wild hogs in the US, and those numbers are skyrocketing.

Every year, pigs cause about $ 2.5 billion in damage and control costs, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Runaway pig populations mean the damage will only get worse, experts said.

Dale Nolte, manager of the USDA’s National Wild Hog Damage Management Program, told The Atlantic that the growing number of wild hogs in the United States is known as a “ferral swine bomb.”

Nolte said that because they can reproduce so quickly, the problem is difficult to control.

“I’ve heard of it as a wild pig bomb,” Nolte said. “They multiply very fast. Going from a thousand to two thousand is not a big deal. But if you have a million, it doesn’t take long to get to four. [million], then eight million “.

The University of Saskatchewan biologist who researches wild pigs, Ryan Brook, said that most pigs are a mix of domestic breeds and European wild boar.

“The problem with hybrids is that you get all the huge benefits from all that genetics,” Brook told The Atlantic. “Create what we would call super-pigs.”

Brook said wild hybrid “super pigs” are intelligent and have a very good sense of smell.

They also have thick fur, which increases their ability to survive in the wild.

Hybrids also benefit from domestic pigs, which are bred to be fertile throughout the year and have large litters, an average of 10 piglets each.

Wild hogs cause damage to property, crops, livestock, native species, and ecosystems and cultural and historical resources, the USDA website said. They also threaten the health of “people, wildlife, pets, and other domestic animals.”

America is not alone with the pig problem.

Last week in Hong Kong, a video of wild boars swimming in the pool of the Bank of China Tower in the heart of the city went viral. The pig family had visited Hong Kong Park earlier that day.

The animals were returned to the forested hillside area shortly after the arrival of staff from the Hong Kong Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation (AFCD).

Wild boars have increasingly been seen venturing out of the forest and into urban areas of Hong Kong in recent years.

But not all encounters with unruly animals are peaceful.

In October 2018, two Hong Kong elderly men were sent to hospital after being rammed and bitten by a wild boar in a public housing estate in Diamond Hill.

In July of the same year, a 39-year-old woman was attacked by a wild boar near an exit from the MTR HKU station, while another woman reported that her husband had been injured by a wild pig on the nearby Babington Path.

The University of Hong Kong issued a warning to staff and students to be on the lookout for wild boars.

In March last year, 166 wild pigs were caught and 121 of them were relocated to remote rural areas around Hong Kong.

In fiscal year 2019-20, the AFCD also increased the number of staff members responsible for managing the city’s wild hogs from six to 26.

– additional reports South China Morning Post