The Environment Magazine

Arnold Qi
Quarry Lane School, Dublin, CA 94568 

As human populations increase, and natural habitats shrink, encounters between wildlife and humans become more frequent and hostile. A local species that has gained popularity from this is the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). The Wild Boar was once only native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but in the 1920s it was introduced to California by a l andowner in Monterey County named George Gordon Moore. His intentions were to create a hunting preserve for him and his friends, but the Wild Boars and Pigs bred together and later on the domesticated pigs were allowed to roam freely.

Figure 1: The Wild Boar, Picture by Steve Hillebrand (source https://icwdm.org)

In recent years, Wild Boars have become a growing threat to land, natural resources, and animals. Channel Islands National Park, located in California, features many different endemic species, animal or plant species native to a specific region and not found anywhere else. One of these species is the island fox. The fox is the only carnivore unique to California. In 2004, its numbers nosedived from 2,500 to just over a dozen left, due to wild boars. Park officials came up with the solution of hiring contractors to kill over 5,000 Wild Boars. In 2016, the species recovered and the fox was removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. This was the fastest a mammal has ever been removed from this list, showing just how much impact the Wild Boar had on its environment and the wildlife surrounding it. In a research article by Texas A&M, it was discovered that the animal causes many noticeable and consequential problems. One of these is the effect of the animal on water quality. The water is directly impacted by Bacterial Impairment, which is caused by Boars disturbing nearby soil or defecating into the water.

Figure 2: Foxes on Santa Cruz Channel Islands (source: sfgate.com)

One of the most significant impacts of Wild Boars is their destruction of agricultural crops. Farmers from California and Texas report damage to crops such as corn, wheat, and rice. Wild Boars have the ability to destroy entire fields overnight, which leads to huge financial losses for farmers. A study in Texas estimates that $57 million worth of damage is done to crops annually by Wild Boars, while in the United States the USDA estimates $2.5 Billion worth of total damage is done annually. This is mostly a result of their unique rooting behavior. Wild Boars use their snouts to dig into the ground and remove soil. This usually leaves multiple giant holes, which leaves land damaged, not only damaging crops, but also destroying irrigation systems and fences.

Figure 3: Wild Boars Rooting Land (source: tlake.com)

I have also been affected by Wild Boars. My house’s front lawn was dug up, with random mounds of dirt and scattered holes. This also occurred throughout my community to countless neighbors, with many having to put up nets to stop them from digging up their lawn. Others would repair their lawn, or replace it with fake grass. HOA eventually stepped in, and in an effort to fix this problem, set up Wild Boar traps. This huge environmental issue could easily be fixed if governors or higher executives spent money on hiring private contractors to eliminate Wild Boars, which would help protect communities and animals from being negatively impacted

References

“Nuisance Wildlife in Texas: Wild Pigs.” Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/nuisance/feral_hogs/#:~:text=Rooting%20is%20the%20mechanism%20by,nutrient%20cycling%20within%20the%20soil.

Rode, Erin. “5,000 Feral Pigs Were Killed to Save a California National Park.” SFGATE, SFGATE, http://www.sfgate.com/la/article/channel-islands-feral-pigs-fox-19549631.php.

Wild Pigs Negatively Impact Water Quality: Implications for Land and Watershed Management. 2018. https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2022/06/Wild-pigs-negatively-impact-water-quality-Implications-for-land-and-watershed-management-Helcel-et-al-2018.pdf

“Wild Pigs.” Wild Pigs / Home and Landscape / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM), ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/wild-pigs/pest-notes/#gsc.tab=0.