One is smaller and flat-edged and native to the Sonoran Desert. The other is larger, rounder and invasive, with the potential to wreck Arizonan agriculture and wildlife.
The former is a javelina (Pecari tajacu) and the latter is the invasive feral hog. Although sometimes confused for one another, they are two entirely separate animals. Javelinas are technically not pigs, as they are classified as peccary.
Feral hogs were brought to North America centuries ago by Spanish missionaries as a source of food. Some escaped. In some cases, Spanish explorers placed hogs on islands with the idea of finding them later.
They have since become invasive, threatening wildlife and livestock alike. They choose areas near water sources due to their lack of sweat glands.
In Arizona, they can be found in locations including the San Pedro River, Willcox and the Arizona Strip. The most concerning population is in Navajo County and is getting larger. The population on the Colorado River in Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is close to being eradicated. David Bergman, Arizona state director of USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, estimates there are fewer than 10 hogs left at Havasu.
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“As for Arizona, our goal is eradication,” Bergman says. “And we’re doing this in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Department of Agriculture as well as a number of other land management entities.”
The invasion has been costly, yet difficult to quantify. A 2007 study by David Pimentel of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, put estimated total damages at roughly $1.5 billion.
Sophie McKee, a research economist at the National Wildlife Research Center and Colorado State University, emphasizes how rough this number is. Much research still needs to be done, she said.
Disease spreaders
One danger of invasive feral hogs is the spread of diseases.
“If you look at it as a health issue, feral swine carry around 30 viral and bacterial diseases, around 40 different parasites,” says Bergman, state director of USDA Wildlife Services.
Some of these diseases have the potential to be zoonotic, meaning they can infect both animals and people.
One disease called Aujeszkys, or “pseudo-rabies,” can cause respiratory and reproductive issues in pigs. It has been eradicated from commercial herds but persists among the feral hogs. Although not a threat to humans, it is a cause of concern if pets or livestock contract it through contact with a hog carcass.
It can be deadly for horses, cattle and pets, dogs especially, says Dr. Alex Ramirez, senior associate dean for academic programs and faculty affairs at the University of …….