Wild pig control outreach and education

Wild pigs are one of the greatest invasive species problems in the United States. They impact water quality, agricultural crops and livestock, wildlife populations and their habitats, and more recently, suburban landscapes. Nationwide, the population is estimated at about 4 million animals — with 2.6 million in Texas alone.

Wild pig crop damages and control costs are reported to be greater than $1.5 billion across the nation and conservatively $52 million in Texas, annually. In areas where wild pig populations are concentrated or in and near streams, where they spend a significant portion of their time, they contribute bacteria and nutrients to water bodies. These populations can substantially impact water quality by eroding banks, increasing sediment loads and algae blooms, and causing oxygen depletions.

Through presentations, publications, smartphone applications, social media content and videos, we are helping the public understand how these animals live, as well as improving the reduction measures used by landowners to control this pest. Our work has helped many stakeholders actively involved in implementing water resource management and protection programs in their watersheds. Providing education to landowners about effective removal and management strategies is crucial to successfully reducing wild pig populations and improving the water quality of Texas streams.

 

 

    News

    29 Nov

    Texas A&M launches new online tool for reporting feral hogs

    National Hog Farmer: Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute has released a new online tool to help in the growing effort to control the feral hog population in the state. The wild pig website offers Texas landowners and homeowners an easy-to-use tool to report sightings of feral hogs and the damage that may have occurred from them.

    28 Nov

    Seen Any Wild Hogs Lately? Tell the State

    KETR: The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute is making it easier to report wild hog sightings in the state. The NRI has a new webpage where Texas residents can provide details of how many hogs they saw, where they saw them, and what kind of damage the animals cause – such as crop or fence damage, wallowing, or rubbing.

    21 Nov

    Texas A&M releases online tool for reporting wild hog sightings

    KLTV: A new online tool from the Texas A&M National Resource Institute may aide in the growing effort to control the feral hog population in East Texas. They say it will help them locate areas of high activity as well as manage the growing population in the state.

    20 Nov

    Wild Pig Fall Season Newsletter

    This edition discusses aerial gunning as a tool for wild pig control as well as available options for Texas landowners and wildlife managers. Also addressed is research related to various baiting and head gate options for trapping wild pigs.

    16 Apr

    Spring Wild Pig Newsletter is here!

    In this issue, readers will learn about the effects of abatement efforts on wild pig behavior, the impact wild pigs have on water quality, and get the opportunity to read trending articles and much more!

    2 Oct

    Fall Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this sixth issue, landowners will learn about wild pigs and mast crops, view the best of the wild pig photo and video contest, read about the origin of the wild pig species and get a peek at trending articles and videos. 

    3 Jul

    Summer Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this fifth issue, landowners will learn about county-based cooperative wild pig abatement, see an evaluation of contraceptive viability in wild pigs and view trending articles and videos. 

    1 Mar

    Spring Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this fourth issue, landowners will learn about wild pig control concerns, about considerations for hunting with dogs and get a peek at trending articles and videos. 

    3 Oct

    Fall Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this third issue, landowners will learn about white-tailed deer management with considerations for wild pig control, read about considerations for the ethical harvest of wild pigs and get a peek at trending articles and videos.

    1 Jul

    Summer Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this second issue, landowners will get to see an urban wild pig video series, learn about the seasonal spotlight, emerging technology and innovation in wild pig management and hear about upcoming programs.

    1 Mar

    Spring Wild Pig Newsletter is Here!

    In this first issue, land stewards will meet the Wild Pig team, read the seasonal spotlight, learn about new Wild Pig continuing education courses and landowner cooperatives, hear about upcoming programs and much more...

      Blog Posts

      15 Oct

      Extension Publication released on Feral Pigs and Disease Concerns

      The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) released a new publication titled “Disease Concerns Associated with Feral Pigs” that covers the science behind the most common and emerging diseases associated with this animal and the way diseases are transmitted.

      3 Jun

      What's New with NRI’s Wild Pig Reporting System

      NRI’s wild pig reporting web-page, developed by the institute’s data analytics team, provides a unique portal for data to be reported not only in Texas, but anywhere wild pigs are observed.

      3 Jan

      Wild Pig and Human Interactions

      Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) have gained quite a reputation for being aggressive towards humans and companion animals.  A quick Google or YouTube search can easily lead one to believe these animals routinely grow to enormous sizes and will readily attack and eat humans or pets when given an opportunity.  The truth about human and wild pig interactions, however, is not nearly that sensational.  This article will explore research conducted on human-wild pig interactions, and will attempt to separate the facts from the substantial lore surrounding this topic.

      7 Sep

      Do Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Have a Place in Wild Pig Management?

      Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a growing concern across the country, and, unfortunately, Texas seems to have the largest population over other states. Landowners, producers and others concerned with minimizing damages associated with this exotic species often look to emerging technologies to reduce wild pig numbers.

      27 Jul

      Are Wild Pigs Safe to Eat?

      NRI's Josh Helcel and the wild pig team spoke with Susan Culp with the Texas Animal Health Commission to answer a few questions about the safety of bringing home the bacon. Click read more to watch the video.

      2 Jan

      The Origin of the Wild Pig Species

      Nearly 160 years ago Charles Darwin published his “On the Origin of Species,” a work that would become the cornerstone of evolutionary biology. The book's 502 pages outlined the scientific theory of natural selection and species diversity through evolution across successive generations. If you’ve ever wondered where wild pigs (Sus scrofa) came from, why there are so many different names for them and how man has influenced nearly everything about them, well then what follows may be worth your minutes.

      28 Nov

      Wild Pigs and Mast Crops

      Wild pigs are considered opportunistic omnivores – meaning they will consume both plant and animal food sources available to them throughout the year. The vast majority of a wild pigs diet consists of plant materials, and an important, seasonal food source for wild pigs are mast crops (acorns, fruits or beans). Common mast producing species in Texas include oaks, hickories, honey mesquite, prickly pear cactus and persimmon. This article will highlight the research that has been conducted on wild pig competition with native wildlife for mast, the effects mast has on wild pig population trends and how wild pigs’ consumption of mast can influence forest composition.