<p>Feral pigs a problem in the Everglades? I thought that they had all been eaten by the giant Anacondas.</p>
<p>Feral pigs have been a problem in Texas for decades.</p>
<p>Wild hogs are among the most destructive invasive species in the United States today. Two million to six million of the animals are wreaking havoc in at least 39 states and four Canadian provinces; half are in Texas, where they do some $400 million in damages annually. They tear up recreational areas, occasionally even terrorizing tourists in state and national parks, and squeeze out other wildlife.</p>
<p>Read more: [A</a> Plague of Pigs in Texas | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine](<a href=“http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/A-Plague-of-Pigs-in-Texas.html#ixzz2FKmgS5WE]A”>http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/A-Plague-of-Pigs-in-Texas.html#ixzz2FKmgS5WE)
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter</p>
<p>Cromette is right! Where have you folks been? LOL. Feral pigs and wild hogs have been a big nuisance in the south for years, and now have spread to many other states.</p>
<p>And there is a distinction; some are about as wild as you can get, but many are domesticated pigs who escaped their pens and became feral. I hear they are ferocious and can do a lot of damage to one’s ankles if you can’t make it up a tree fast enough when chased. Their destruction of farmland is notorious. And…more than a few have been seen at 500lbs or larger!!! You don’t want to mess with an angry 500lbs hog.</p>
<p>Last year a co-worker in my group, who is an avid cyclist and rides his bike to and from our office, collided with a herd of wild pigs while riding his bicycle home. He ended up in the hospital with multiple bone fractures :(</p>
<p>He was riding through a park in the midst of Houston.</p>
<p>Oughta hunt 'em like the do in Da Islands</p>
<p>“POLYNESIAN” BOAR HUNT - includes up to one wild pig - any size. All animals are free range and a “Boar” is not guaranteed. Pigs are hunted with dogs and are taken with a knife.</p>
<p>We have feral pigs here in the hills above Silicon Valley. It’s legal to hunt them, and indeed hunters do hunt them, but that’s not a population control solution. They breed too fast. They can’t be hunted to extinction, except in limited, inaccessible areas.</p>
<p>To eliminate feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island, an island of only 60,000 acres off southern California, took two years.
[Restoring</a> Santa Cruz Island - Channel Islands National Park](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/chis/naturescience/restoring-santa-cruz-island.htm]Restoring”>Restoring Santa Cruz Island - Channel Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service))</p>
<p>I was riding through a park in San Jose one night and came upon a sounder of pigs. Happily, they ran off, with no harm done either to me or to them. Running into wild animals is a hazard of cycling. I know cyclists who’ve been injured running into deer, and recently in the East Bay a cyclist died after running into a flock of wild turkeys.</p>
<p>Wow, I really had no idea there were feral pigs in Washington or Silicon Valley. Crazy!</p>
<p>Florida is loaded with feral pigs. Texas is the only U.S. state with more of the feral hogs than Florida. They breed too fast to ever eliminate them; they can only be controlled with fences, trapping, and hunting. The invasive Burmese pythons located mostly in southern Florida will eat hogs, but the pythons can’t stand cold temperatures so the snakes would need to wear sweaters (15’ sleeve parts only) wintertime to thrive and eat the problem feral pigs up north.</p>
<p>About 10 years ago my daughter came home from her new elementary school and excitedly told me that they had to come in from recess because of the wild hogs. Whaaaat? I thought she was pulling my leg and she became very indignant when I didn’t believe her.</p>
<p>We live on an island in South Georgia that is fairly populated but does have many wooded and marsh areas. I mentioned the story to my friend and she confirmed that there is in fact a wild hog problem in the less populated areas. </p>
<p>Since that time my husband occasionally sees wild hogs on the side of the road while he goes on his early morning rides. He gives them a very wide berth.</p>
<p>you sure thay warnt talkin bout fe’ral pigs in Warshington Day Say?</p>
<p>EK, did you skip out on 9th grade Washington State Hostory class? (insert winky face here if I knew how)
[HistoryLink.org-</a> the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History](<a href=“The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History - HistoryLink.org”>San Juan Island Pig War -- Part 1 - HistoryLink.org)
We got quite a chuckle out of the Pig War back in the day.</p>
<p>Feral pigs are a horrible problem in Texas. We have a friend who devotes many weekends to hunting as many as he can on his land. He gifts all his friends with meat. (flavor can vary wildly. I’ve taken to throwing it in the crockpot with a bottle of barbecue sauce and lots of onions. Cook the bajeebers out of it. Most are pretty lean, mean and tough.)</p>
<p>We have a geese problem, so they paint their eggs with mineral oil.
Its too bad you cant get birth control some how to the pigs.
( they also did something to curtail the population of rabbits nearby but I don’t remember what.- besides feeding them to the carnivores at the zoo)
Oh they relocated them.
[A</a> look back at the rabbits of Green Lake –](<a href=“mygreenlake.com”>mygreenlake.com)
Not really something you are going to do with pigs.
And when bunnies hop onto the soccer pitch, you can ignore them.</p>
<p>Yes, wild boar hunting is a sport in HI, even Honolulu. When a pig escaped into the golf course, they called the pig hunters, who hit the pig with a truck & then took it home for barbeque. The hunters seem to enjoy their work, as described in a post above.</p>
<p>EK, did you skip out on 9th grade Washington State Hostory class? (insert winky face here if I knew how)
That was a pretty pricey pig to be worth$100 in 1859.
[History</a> and Stories of Friday Harbor and San Juan Island in Washington State](<a href=“http://www.fridayharbor.com/ihistory.cfm]History”>http://www.fridayharbor.com/ihistory.cfm)</p>
<p>This definitely supports my decision to live on the MD side of the river!</p>
<p>Well, I dont think pigs can fly, but can they swim?
[Swimming</a> pigs - YouTube](<a href=“Swimming pigs - YouTube”>Swimming pigs - YouTube)</p>
<p>Of course pigs can swim. They can even become swimming stars!
[“Aquarena</a> Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig” documentary trailer - YouTube](<a href=“"Aquarena Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig" documentary trailer - YouTube”>"Aquarena Springs and Ralph the Swimming Pig" documentary trailer - YouTube)</p>
<p>Oops. I assumed when you were talking about feral pigs in Washington, you meant our congressmen (and women).</p>
<p>Ah yes, I fondly remember my high school lecture [at the dawn of time] on the Pig War in the San Juan Islands. LOL</p>
<p>As for the taste, a friend born and raised in “Old Florida,” told me he preferred to hunt the younger ones because their meat was tastier than the old geezers. The geezer hogs apparently subsist on pine cones in his part of Florida, which makes for a gamey flavor.</p>