Big pigs, big problem: Feral swine spread to Great Lakes region

By Chris Parks
parksch3@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
July 10, 2009

The wild pigs already troubling southern states are slowly becoming an issue in the Great Lakes region.

In recent years these feral swine have been concentrated in California, Texas and southeastern states.

But in Michigan alone there were 200 sightings of these animals in more than 60 counties as of late 2008.

“Unfortunately, most statewide agencies don’t have individual numbers, but the pigs are now in at least 35 states,” said Seth Swafford, project manager for the United States Department of Agriculture’s feral swine management.

And their numbers appear to be increasing in the Midwest, he said.

These aren’t the pigs you see on the farm. Although they generally look like domesticated swine, averaging 100-130 pounds and covered in hair, feral swine are destructive animals that root, scavenge and attack other animals for food. They travel in packs, and their aggressive nature results in thousands of dollars of damage to crops, property and livestock.

In addition to destroying the environment, they can carry diseases, Swafford said.

The most notable is pseudorabies which is frequently fatal among pigs, especially the young, said Steve Chellis, who is also a part of the USDA.

“(Pseudorabies) doesn’t affect the feral swine as much as other species. But we’re afraid if it gets into the domestic pigs, it could ruin the swine business in Michigan,” Chellis said. “It’s big time.”

About 30 percent of feral swine that have been tested carry disease, Swafford said.

Feral swine are an invasive species, much like the emerald ash borer insect, which kills trees, and zebra mussels, which disrupt sensitive aquatic ecosystems. The pigs destroy ecosystems, crops and even fencing or farm equipment while rooting for food.

“I’ve been to areas in the woods where they’re like roto-tillers,” Chellis said.

Many of the wild pigs have escaped from game farms where people pay to hunt them in an enclosed area, he said. Many of the feral swine in southern states were brought in illegally. Domestic pigs may also escape from their farms and over time can re-adapt to the wild and become feral.

When it comes to stopping the problem, the best thing the Great Lakes states can do is focus on educating the public, Swafford said.

“We need to get landowners and hunters aware,” he said. “A lot of people who are only beginning to hear about feral swine don’t know about the dangers they can pose.”

To help keep the issue from worsening, some Great Lakes states encourage licensed hunters to kill wild pigs they see in counties that allow it. That’s easier said than done.

Dave Strawbridge, a retired dentist from Charlevoix, Mich., and a hunting and fishing enthusiast, has hunted wild pigs in the south and says it’s hard to bring one down.

“They’re tough — they basically have armor plating on their sides. You’ve got to use a pretty good sized weapon to bring them down,” Strawbridge said.

It’s important to make the shots count, because the pigs are aggressive and will attack if they’re cornered or injured, he said. “People try to bow hunt and it’s a problem. We had a guide say he’s seen situations where bow hunters got chased and had to climb a tree. If you get about three feet above the ground they can’t get to you.”

The same guide said he was once chased up a tree and dropped his bow on the climb, Strawbridge said. The pig destroyed the bow and he was forced to wait in the tree until it left.

Chellis worries that it may not be enough to encourage hunters to kill them. It’s hard to find them when they hide in places like swamps, he said.

“They’re pretty smart animals.”

(Great Lakes Echo reporter Allison Bush contributed to this report.)
[polldaddy poll=3055812]