Hogs gone wild

March 15, 2009

Hogs gone wild
Rick Coates 3/16/09


Donny Fisher, an avid hunter, learned firsthand about the durability of a wild hog problem that has alarmed some members a Michigan’s conservation community.
“I was hunting in Cheboygan County and put two arrows through one and it still kept running around in circles,” said Fisher. “I finally had to shoot it with a rifle. It weighed 400 pounds.”
There appears to be a wild hog problem in Michigan as experts estimate 5,000 to 8,000 feral swine (free-roaming pigs), that are not native to the state, are running wild. Some believe that if this issue is not addressed immediately that number may grow beyond control.
“If we turn a blind eye, we’ll have 50,000 in two years,” said Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of the non-profit Michigan Wildlife Conservancy.
Dr. Patrick Rusz, director of Wildlife Programs at the Conservancy agrees.
“What we have here is a 300-pound cockroach problem that is threatening to destroy our agriculture and environment,” said Rusz, referencing the size of some of the hogs.
“We have a chance to eliminate this problem now before the pig population multiplies out of control. We have experts from other states where they didn’t act quickly with their wild hog population that all have given us fair warning that we should act immediately and do whatever is necessary before it is too late.”
One state that learned the hard way was New Jersey.
“They turned their back on the problem, figuring it would take care of itself,” said Rusz. ‘Well, what they found out was the hogs took care of business causing millions of dollars of damage to golf courses, baseball fields and peoples’ yards. These hogs will dig three to four feet down. It is not a pretty sight and they work quickly. Annually they cause $800 million in damage, but I believe it is more likely to be closer to $1.5 billion.”

SHORT-TEMPERED
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has been tracking the growth of the wild hog population, “feral pigs may be domestic or Eurasian breeds. At maturity, they can weigh up to 400 pounds, and usually sport tusks. The boars lead solitary, nomadic lives; sows and piglets travel in small groups. All can be short-tempered and territorial.”
The wild hogs are destructive to crops, wildlife, and according to wildlife biologists, they could spread diseases -- primarily pseudorabies -- that could potentially eliminate Michigan’s pork industry.
“The production of domestic swine in Michigan is a $700 million industry,” said Sam Hines, executive vice president of Michigan Pork Producers Association. “Feral swine present a major risk to our industry.”
So with all the evidence in other states of the destruction caused by wild hogs, why is this issue not being addressed by State officials?
“Despite the attempts by our organization and others to publicize the dangers of the wild hog problem in Michigan this issue is flying under the radar,” said Rusz. “I think there are several reasons for this. Primarily these hogs have been causing damage in rural areas, but this will change soon. In fact just recently a girl was chased by some wild hogs near Ann Arbor; so as these hogs move into populated areas and start causing damage to golf courses and wealthy residential neighborhoods, maybe the public will take the threat serious. But by then it might be too late and this will become a forever problem in the state.”
A forever problem?
“Yes as these hogs multiply, a liter is two to 12 piglets, they make their way to swampy areas making them hard to hunt,” said Rusz.

WHERE THE BUCK STOPS
So how did Michigan end up with these hogs in the first place?
“Wild game ranches who offered trophy buck hunts started offering wild boar hunts 25 years ago or so,” said Rusz. “Well, as these type of hunts became popular, it became lucrative for farmers in Michigan to start raising these hogs. Well, they are notorious gate crashers. The first major escape was in the Upper Peninsula. But some thought that these pigs would not last in the wild or in the harsh Michigan winters. But they were wrong, because unlike other animals that are domesticated, these hogs adapt to their environment very easy.”
Rusz and his colleagues are proposing the State of Michigan offer a bounty for hunters to shoot these hogs. But with mounting economic issues and other challenges, this proposal has fallen on deaf ears in Lansing.
“State officials just don’t get it,” said John J. Mayer, of the Washington Savannah River Company, a South Carolina environmental support firm for the U.S. Department of Energy.
The nation’s foremost expert on wild hogs, Mayer believes it will likely take a huge catastrophe such as disease outbreak in a state’s livestock before action against wild hogs will be taken. “State agency personnel simply don’t realize how fast wild hogs can reproduce and how damaging they can be,” said Mayer. “They can’t see the threat until the bomb explodes. And most people don’t appreciate the seriousness of the problem until they’ve had their yard rototilled by wild boars.”

NIGHTTIME MARAUDERS
Another challenge is the hogs are not visible to the public and Rusz points out that people in general are getting tired of these “exotic species’ scares.
“These hogs like to avoid people, so they have become nocturnal, doing their dirty work at nighttime,” said Rusz. “If you were to ask 100 random people, maybe two would have heard of the problem. Those that are familiar assume that the government will take care of the problem. But the government is not equipped to take of this. The best thing our government could do is offer a bounty and let the hunters take care of it.”
Right now licensed Michigan hunters are allowed to shoot wild hogs year round. Check with the DNR for specific regulations as shooting hogs is not legal in all counties including several in Northern Michigan.
Rusz points out that wild hogs are tough animals and are not easy to kill. He warns hunters and others to proceed with caution.
“I am particularly concerned about bow hunters. These hogs do not go down easy, and in fact a hunter this past fall in Germany was killed by a hog that attacked him when he shot the hog with an arrow,” said Rusz. “Once provoked they will attack.”

CONTACT THE DNR
Rusz hopes the public will become more aware and lobby their legislators to make changes.
“These animals are not native to Michigan and they should be eliminated and not allowed in the state in the future,” said Rusz.
Anyone interested in more information is encouraged to contact the Michigan DNR. The DNR has asked anyone who kills a wild hog to contact them so the animal may be tested. Wild hogs shot should not be left in the woods as they have the potential to spread disease. The DNR also is tracking wild hog sightings throughout the state: If you see or shoot any feral swine in Michigan contact one of the following:

• Department of Natural Resources: 517-336-5030 or email brownkr@michigan.gov;
• Department of Agriculture: 1-800-292-3939 and press “4” for the Animal Industry Division
• USDA Wildlife Services: 517-336-1928.