The porcine zombie apocalypse is here

[pendell]

Seen in Popular Mechanics

A hybrid breed of super pigs—a mix of a domestic pig and a wild boar—is running wild in Canada. And now they have their sights set on the United States.

Originally crossbred to help farmed pigs grow larger and tolerate the cold temperatures of Canada, a drop in the market about two decades ago led some farmers to let their hybrid pigs run free. Now they’re running very free, according to Field and Stream. The super pigs are coming south, likely heading to Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan.

The problem? The super pigs are proving hard to eradicate.

...

“That they can survive in such a cold climate is one of the big surprises of this issue,” Ryan Brook, leader of the University of Saskatchewan’s Canadian Wild Pig Research Project, tells Field and Stream.

The cold-hardiness of the hybrid pigs means they survive well. That means other native species don’t. Brook elaborates:

“Wild hogs feed on anything. They gobble up tons and tons of goslings and ducklings in the spring. They can take down a whitetail deer, even an adult. Originally, it was like ‘wow, this is something we can hunt.’ But it’s become clear that they’re threatening our whitetail deer, elk, and especially, waterfowl. Not to mention the crop damage. The downsides outweigh any benefit wild hogs may have as a huntable species.”

They know no remorse, pity, or fear. And they will absolutely not stop. EVER.

... on the plus side, in the zombie apocalypse we won't have any shortage of bacon. Mmmmm.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Tyndmyr]

Good news, the US has guns and enjoys bacon. I predict this will not be much of a concern.

[sihnfahl]

Good news, the US has guns and enjoys bacon. I predict this will not be much of a concern.

Yes, and despite places allowing hunting wild hogs to the point there are miniguns mounted in helicopters, we can't get rid of them!

Seriously, look up 'helibacon'.

They offer such options as: the M134 (7.62x51 NATO), M3 Browning MG (50 BMG), M2 - The Ma Deuce (50 MG), M60 E6 (7.62x51 NATO). M249 SAW (5.56x45 NATO). Maxim M1910 (7.62x54R). MG34 (7.92x57 Mauser). Just to name a few.

They've been at it for almost a decade. And they're just one of MANY helicopter hog hunting outfits. And they're still booked for months because there are so many blasted hogs!

[pendell]

He's not kidding

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Seriously, hunting pigs with helicopter-mounted miniguns just seems so... soo... Team America World Police.

AMERICA HECK YEAH!

Not quite sure how to sign this,

Brian P.

[Sapphire Guard]

Thread title of the year right here.

[sihnfahl]

Seriously, hunting pigs with helicopter-mounted miniguns just seems so... soo... Team America World Police.

Oh, and do note that they don't eat the kills. They leave them to the buzzards.

They've tested wild hogs extensively, and most are full of communicable diseases to the point that they consider feral hog meat a health hazard.

And this is Texas, where 'if it's meat, we'll grill it!'.

So there's no surprise they will allow use of 'chunky salsa' weaponry.

[Calen]

And they're still booked for months because there are so many blasted hogs!

I think you mean UNblasted hogs.

[thethird]

A similar situation is happening in Spain. But as far as I know, and honestly I don't know much, it's just that most boars now a day are part pig. I have seen some boars getting down from the mountain and into the city too. Fortunately they were happy to simply get some trash and not be pissed at people.

That said boar bacon tastes pretty good, and any part of the boar.

[sihnfahl]

A similar situation is happening in Spain. But as far as I know, and honestly I don't know much, it's just that most boars now a day are part pig.

The US has mixed breed boars, from wild boars brought over by wealthy individuals for hunting purposes, and regular pigs that escaped.

The main problem the US has is that there aren't any real natural predators in their preferred ranges. Normally, as in Europe and Asia, they'd be controlled by animals such as wolves, tigers, leopards, etc.

The US never had the second and third, and we did our best to get rid of the first, and the ones we have been working with are sort of ... limited in range. There are less than 300 wild wolves in the American Southwest, and their range covers pretty much only Arizona and New Mexico. None in Texas and the other 'middle' states like Louisiana, Kansas, or the Southeastern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina ... and there are less than 20 in North Carolina.

Guess which states have a feral hog problem....

[snowblizz]

The US has mixed breed boars, from wild boars brought over by wealthy individuals for hunting purposes, and regular pigs that escaped.

The main problem the US has is that there aren't any real natural predators in their preferred ranges. Normally, as in Europe and Asia, they'd be controlled by animals such as wolves, tigers, leopards, etc.

The US never had the second and third, and we did our best to get rid of the first, and the ones we have been working with are sort of ... limited in range. There are less than 300 wild wolves in the American Southwest, and their range covers pretty much only Arizona and New Mexico. None in Texas and the other 'middle' states like Louisiana, Kansas, or the Southeastern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina ... and there are less than 20 in North Carolina.

Guess which states have a feral hog problem....

Just for the record Europe isn't overly blessed by an abundance of predators either. Not nearly enough to cull the population naturally. And the predators tend to go for the easier kills. IE farm animals if they can. Which leads to culling of predator populations too. Every place I know of that has introduced wild boars because we'll just hunt a few have large problems with wild wild boars. And you still get hunters that insist they should be introduced, or doing it on the sly as sometimes boars are spotted even though there shouldn't be any. Because apparently going to the place there's too many to shoot them is too much of hassle it has to be right outside your house.
I don't think there is any place in the modern world where the wild population of predators isn't actually under sever stresses due to human population. All those listed are only saved by extensive preservative measures being employed. Usually as the hunters and rural locals say, by stupid flowerhatted urban know-it-alls who don't understand jack about nature.

[sihnfahl]

Just for the record Europe isn't overly blessed by an abundance of predators either. Not nearly enough to cull the population naturally.

Oh, yeah, I know, it's just that in times past, there was ... sort of an equilibrium. Nowadays, thanks to easy access to food, the hog population's exploded and they're really taking things apart.

I don't think there is any place in the modern world where the wild population of predators isn't actually under sever stresses due to human population. All those listed are only saved by extensive preservative measures being employed. Usually as the hunters and rural locals say, by stupid flowerhatted urban know-it-alls who don't understand jack about nature.

Heh, yeah, even the remoteness of the snow leopard ranges is no longer a factor.

[KillianHawkeye]

Originally crossbred to help farmed pigs grow larger and tolerate the cold temperatures of Canada

“That they can survive in such a cold climate is one of the big surprises of this issue,”

Hmm....

[J-H]

Texas has had hybrid feral hogs (regular + russian boars allegedly imported for hunting) for a long time.

I guess the only difference is this is a cold hardy breed. Pigs are pretty good at surviving and re-breeding. Smart and destructive little boogers. 6-12 piglets per litter, 2-4 litters per year....

As for eating wild hogs - my understanding is the best practice is to catch them, feed them for 30-60 days so you know what's in them (including medication or ivermectin if that's your thing) and then butcher them. I haven't heard much about them being full of diseases. I'm in a rural area, and last year I borrowed a trap from a guy who said he fed his family on nothing but trapped feral hog for a year when he was going through a rough patch financially.