Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Texas has the largest wild pig population in the nation, estimated at 2.6 million animals. Damage to agronomic enterprises is conservatively estimated at $52 million annually with total economic damage to agriculture and the environment in urban, suburban, and rural Texas possibly reaching 10 times that figure. In response to damage caused by this invasive exotic species, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (Extension) increased educational programming efforts and direct control of wild pigs via Wildlife Services. From 2006 -2013, earmarked grant funding (5 projects over the 8-year period) was obtained from the Texas State Legislature via the Texas Department of Agriculture. Project funding facilitated the development and deployment of an integrated strategy of direct control of wild pigs by Wildlife Services’ personnel and Extension-led landowner education via one-on-one contacts, group meetings, demonstrations, and publications. Website availability and mass media contacts including television and radio interviews, newspaper articles, and magazine articles were also utilized to increase public awareness and education on wild pigs and damage abatement. Landowners participating in Extension educational events were surveyed to characterize damage and control efforts as well as measure the impacts of education efforts. Direct control via Texas Wildlife Services employed all legal methods including trapping, shooting (both ground and aerial), snaring, and dogging, focusing control efforts on areas where pig damage compromised agricultural production and threatened sensitive environmental habitats and/or endangered and threatened species. This integrated approach of public education and direct control reduced the agronomic impact of wild pigs by 66% on cooperator-controlled properties in the pilot phase (2006-2007) of the project. Additional information on methodology and impacts of education and direct control from January 2006 through November 2013 is discussed.