A Plague of Pigs
This is Passport to Texas
You may not know this, but wild hogs aren’t from around here.
05—Hogs are an invasive, exotic species; they’re not native to anywhere in North America.
Rob Denkhaus (DANK-howz) is Natural Resource Manager for the city of Fort Worth.
Descendents of escaped domestic hogs introduced by Spanish Explorers 300 years ago, bred with runaway Eurasian wild boars that brought to Texas in the 1930s by ranchers for sport hunting. The by-product of this porcine parentage has resulted in a large, destructive, modern day wild pig population.
16—The activities that they get involved in like rooting – where they can root several feet into the soft soils – and they’re eating invertebrates, they’re consuming the bulbs and rhizomes of plants and everything. So, they’re having a negative affect on the plant community as well as the wildlife community.
These hogs, says Denkhaus, also prey on native wildlife species.
07—Ground nesting birds, reptiles and amphibians, and the like. So, their impact is far-reaching…and all negative.
More about this plague of pigs tomorrow.
The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuels…
For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti
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