Animal Science

Hey Savvy really enjoy your blog on animals. A Wild Boar is not though a feral pig. The Wild Boar were brought here for the hunting sport in the 1900's. They were never domesticated so the can not be considered feral. The Wild Boar being the ancestral source for most domesticated pigs.

Thanks for reading my blogs - I'm glad you like them! I got the information about the different alias for feral pigs from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. They say that feral pigs are also called wild boar.

This site, however, does state that they are different and explains the differences.

I thought they were feral because they were brought here. For example, many of the Mustangs out west are technically feral as are the Chincoteague ponies in Virginia.

Feral refers to a domesticated animal that has gone wild or from domesticated ancestry. Yes the Wild Mustangs and the Chincoteague Ponies came from domesticated stock so they are feral.

The wild hogs that roam this country have been here so long my guess is it's blurred between whats feral whats not. It maybe that interbreeding between the two that no true Wild Boars are left just hybrids making them all feral.

History tells use that sailors carried domesticated pigs with them and set them loose in new lands so when they return there would be fresh meat to be had.

The wild boars released for huntin in California by the Hearst are very distinctive Russian variety, look much different than the Feral Pigs that roam much of the remainder of California, and tend to be preferred for hunting (though the feral pigs probably actually taste beter since they were bred as food for centuries before escaping captivity in the 1800 to present).

Why all this quibbling? Boar, feral, or domestic(ated)... all domesticated pigs descend from wild pigs (feral/boars); most if not all wild (males) boars and feral pigs (more or less in the wild) are descended directly from domesticated (farm) pigs...a phenomenon (just some pets) called reversion to type.

Every night... although I have never witnessed a wild one.

As an avid hunter, I have seen both wild hogs and feral pigs. The longer a domesticated pig is feral( lost to the wild) the more it begins to resemble a wild hog. This change begins with tusk growth in just a few months and is a natural adaptation for foraging and rooting for food. They also loose body weight compared to the domesticated pig who is penned-up being "fattened" for slaughter. One of the differences that biologists use in distinguishing a wild hog from a feral hog is by examining the skull. Generally, the feral hog has a broader skull then the wild hog. The very large feral hogs that are termed "giant" are really fully "fattened" domesticated animals released for 4-6 months into a "controlled" wild environment for tusks to develop without loosing too much body weight. These hogs don't act like wild hogs in that they allow humans to get very close instead of running off. It is no sport to hunt a "dumb", recently released, giant feral hog, that just stands there looking at you. Thats the reason in my "neck of the woods" the giant ferals are shot by children or young adolescents early in their hunting career to make it exciting for the "new" hunter to "bag" a "trophy" hog. These hogs are tame and usually not in a pack of hogs. The smaller wild hog, are extremely aggressive, live in groups and will wound, kill, and consume dogs and hunters. Even domestic pigs in a pen will eat anything that doesn't move lying on the ground, like an unconscious adult or child.(not an urban myth). So if you are going to loose sleep, don't over feral hogs, but, instead worry about the "deliverance-like" humans running wild in the woods with rifles, shot-guns, and bows.

They are good to eat but sods to catch since they are nearly as smart as us.

I once went hunting with some rednecks in Georgia who were far more dangerous than pigs.

Feral, domestic or wild; after you run them through the sausage machine, they are idistinguishable.

The actual item to fear about wild pigs (whether feral or "wild boars") is the damage they do to the world around them. Drive by a pig farm and let me know if you ever see a blade of grass, carcass, or anything that is or was living lying around for more than a few minutes. The eat like... Well - PIGS - and leave nothing behind. This is very hard on their environment and in any sort of concentrated numbers is harder on the local duck, turkey, and fawn populations.

The will eat everything from plants to humans, and don't stop until it is consumed. As mentioned above human is usually not the preferred food source, and is more of an opportunity food, but a wolf or a coyote will go look for an easier meal than to take on even a piglet (they are CUTE little guys!), since they just have to let out one scream and there is a hole sounder ("herd" of pigs) on the way, and that will contain at least one pissed off sow - the worst animal in the woods.

Their saving grace - they do all taste the same on the discharge end of the grinder - DELICIOUS!

I'm not sure how many of you watch the show but whenever I hear the term "wild boar" all I can think of is John Locke hunting them on the first season of LOST.

Hello Savvy, Et.al.,

I have read your comments regarding wild hogs/wild boar/feral hogs/feral pigs, and I can tell you that I am quite experienced with all of the above.

The vast majority of the free roaming animals that we refer to as wild boar, are those animals that were bred as a domestic food source, by our ancestors. Those that roam the South East are descended from the Spanish/Portuguese variety that came over with the Explorers/Settlers several century's ago. They may or may not have been released, as pigs are both strong and smart and escape seems to me to be the most likely way they got their freedom.

I just happen to be a temporary breeder of these animals. Several years ago a friend trapped a feral sow, white in color, that weighed around 200 lb. She was pregnant, we call that "piggy" around here. He gave the young piglets to me, and released the sow back to the woods. Generally around his "neck O' the woods" there are none of the " Russian Wild Boar Stock that was imported by some well intending but poorly informed individuals that were just trying to create another "Big Game Animal" for hunters.

I have personally killed some animals that are clearly descended from the Russian strain. I leave them right where I kill them, and so does just about everyone else around here. The females are strong smelling and tasting and the males are positively rank. We destroy them in an attempt to reduce the ecological damage they do and to at least reduce the proliferation of that variety further into the otherwise feral/domestic hog population.

As I stated earlier, I have some of these domestic/feral/domestic again pigs in pens on my farmette. Since I started with this endeavor, I have slaughtered 17 shoats and gilts, both of the original males and one of the original females. I have remaining, two of the original females and one neutered male from the original cast of piglets. I raised the neutered male in my garage from the time he was about the size of a football until he was about 90 lb., then he went to the farm to join the others. I also have two gilts that now weigh about 175 lb. that will be slaughtered this winter.

My loving wife has taken a liking to the two remaining sows and "Ely" the un-ic. Ely weighs about 375 lbs and is about 9 mos. younger that the two sows. There is now Big Girl who weighs about 450 lbs., and only was bred once. Then there is Big Mamma, who was bred twice, and weighs about 400lbs. The thing that is unique about these two sows is their shape, both are big and fat but the one that only reproduced once, Big Girl has the shape of a well fed razorback, Arkansas stile, domestic hog, while Big Mamma, is just a bit shorter but much wider, almost barrel like in shape.

At any rate, if anyone really believes that these re domesticated hogs is going to taste like their free ranging counterparts I have a pleasant surprise for them. It is absolutely the very best tasting fresh pork that one could imagine. We are what we eat, and these hogs get a generous feeding of whole corn and hog feed, along with scraps from my table, no collected garbage etc.. No growth hormones, or anti-bio-tics.

And all three of these older animals are as gentile as puppies, they love to have their ears scratched and the area around their eyes gently rubbed, and when this is done for them they fall out on the ground waiting for you to climb into the pen and scratch them all over. You can feed them small pieces of hot dog or other treats by hand and not fear of getting bit, as they are careful not to bite fingers.

I also sold a young gilt to some folks that live in the neighboring county. They wanted to breed her to a "fancy, cultivated, domestic male that they have. They said the feral/domesticated, hogs like mine, will take better care of their young than the Yorkshires, Berkshires, Poland Chinas and other more domesticated varieties.

I suggest that those who find this subject interesting, Google up [ giant hogs the Coursey hog ] You will see a photo of a real giant of this sub species that was killed while enjoying acorns in someones back yard, some where in southern Georgia. 'Ely" and "Big Girl" look like this hog, but " Big Mamma" looks more like a big black barrel with a head and very short legs.

I hope all found this response interesting.

TMF

Spanish/Portuguese variety maybe from here.

http://texnat.tamu.edu/symposia/feral/feral-6.htm

Hi ozzb,

I enjoyed reading the link provided in your post. There exists no doubt in my mind but that the Spanish that settled in St Augustine and other smaller port communities around Florida all brought with them porcine from the Old World Communities in and around Spain and Portugal as well as stock that was acquired from the Caribbean Islands through earlier settlings.

I have hunted all around out state and find that for the most part, the swine population exhibits the standard characteristics of what is considered the true razor back variety. I have found them to be reproduced most often in black and next most often in red. However I have harvested them colored gray, white, spotted, multicolored and one that was black with a white belt behind its front legs.

I have also found that in some areas and gradually spreading, the wild Russian Boar variety,[ the word boar here describes both male and female members of said variety,] is spreading out across the areas that are the most difficult to hunt. It is well documented that the Russian strain is far more aggressive than its Spanish/Portuguese counter parts and will dominate the latter variety of swine twice the size of the Russian variety.

I find that the Russian variety has a very repulsive smell in the male gender and this is some what true of the females also. Even a Russian male only 5/6 months old is too rank tasting to enjoy and can ruin a good batch of sausage.

I well understand the reasons that some folks in the past imported the Russian strain of hogs as to provide excitement to the sport of hog hunting by developing an even more aggressive variety hy-bred. All that they have really accomplished is to cause ruination of feral variety that can be readily re domesticated and is quite tasty to eat if harvested under a year or two old. That is except for the males that begin to get a bit strong flavored at about a year old.

As for the photos of the Texas feral swine in the link, these animals have evolved to compliment their surroundings. Food and water are not all that plentiful in arid areas and these animals naturally tend to grow longer legs as is needed for covering a greater distance between food and water. And as the animal is much leaner, even animals of the same height will look to have longer legs, compared to better fed animals. Where ever swamps are available in close proximity to a variety of suitable food sources, the porcine population can quickly populate an area and become a real nuisance. Just a few of them can destroy an average golf course in just a few days.

No doubt, the Americanized Porcine species is here to stay. However it must have it's numbers brought under control and maintained that way.

TMF

I guess you use firearms to control swine population. In Eastern Europe, wild boar hibernate in caves during the cold winters. In the spring, shortly before the boars woke up, hunters used to gather at the cave entrances. A lone hunter, armed only with a spear, and a judge would enter a cave and locate the biggest boar they could find. The hunter would wake the boar up by prodding it with the speat. Boars do not enjoy this and get very pissed off. The Judges job was to score the hunter on just how angry he got the boar before he killed it with the spear. Sometimes the boar would win this contest.