Damage Caused To Rangelands By Wild Pig Rooting Activity Is Mitigated With Intensive Trapping

The wild pig (Sus scrofa), an exotic and invasive species, has caused great concern at a global scale, particularly within agricultural landscapes. The objective of this study was to determine whether intensive trapping and wild pig removal resulted in a concomitant decrease in damage to rangelands. Removal of 356 wild pigs over 2 years showed an immediate reduction in rooting damage that carried over after trapping ceased. After only one trap session, rooting damage across the three sites was reduced 43-82% and total damage reduction from the beginning to the end of the project was 90%. With intensive trapping (1 pig/22.7 ha/year), damage may also be reduced on neighboring areas that are not being trapped, as indicated by data from our non-trapped units. Although we reduced rooting damage locally, and on nearby areas, large-scale, intensive control will be needed for the long-term effective reduction in damage and wild pig numbers because wild pigs have high reproductive rates, high survival, and can recolonize areas rapidly.