Wild hogs make ‘pigloos’ to stay warm as they spread north, causing billions in damage
Wild hogs, common around much of the United States, are responsible for billions of dollars in damage to crops and natural resources each year, researchers say. The feral pigs have been spreading north to colder climates, even using snow to burrow what some researchers call “pigloos” to stay warm during the winter in areas like Montana and up into Canada.
Known by many names, wild hogs, pigs, boar or swine, the invasive voracious eaters have been responsible for $1.5 billion in damage a year, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Wild pigs are ecological train wrecks,” said Ruth Aschim, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. She led a team of researchers that published a paper on the spread of wild boar in Canada.
“They are prolific breeders making them an extremely successful invasive species,” she said.
“They’ll root up the vegetation like a rototiller,” Aschim said, according to the CBC.
According to the university, “They are adapted to very cold temperatures, and can breed in any season, living in pigloos burrowed into the snow.”
The states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho recently banded together to try to keep the feral pigs from taking hold in those states.
Wild hogs have been reported in Washington, but “there are no known established populations” in the state, according to the Washington Invasive Species Counsel.
“In Idaho, biologists have eradicated a small population in the Bruneau Valley and have no known established populations. Oregon officials estimate that as many as 200 feral swine are in the state, most having invaded from California,” the counsel said on its “Squeal on Pigs” website.
Montana started its own “Squeal on Pigs” campaign recently, asking people to report wild hogs as soon as they see them, according to the CBC.
Adult wild hogs grow to between 75 and 250 pounds, “but some can get twice as large,” according to the USDA.
“Feral swine are muscular and strong, and can run up to 30 miles per hour,” the USDA said. They are prolific breeders with up to two litters per year, with up to 12 piglets each year.
“Since they become sexually mature at 6 to 8 months of age, feral swine populations have the potential to double in size in four months,” the USDA said.
A string of horse deaths in South Carolina, which people originally thought were stabbing incidents, have been blamed on wild boar after a state police investigations.
