Introduction
Feral swine are a major destructive, invasive, and non-native species in Missouri. They have boosted their geographical range to 38 states within the US within 30 years (USDA, par.3). Their populations are ingrained in central and southern Missouri counties, including large swaths of the Mark Twain Forest. These invasive animals adversely affect the abundance and distribution of native animals and plants. They have the potential to reduce the recreational opportunities evidenced in the area for visiting individuals if they are left unchecked.
Origin of the Issue
The feral swine issue in Missouri started in 1969 when the state legislature put a closed range law that eliminated free-roaming livestock. In this period, many individuals preferred recreational feral swine hunting, a popular sport in the 1990s (USDA, par.13). Simultaneously, special interest groups started rearing European wild boar as a different food source and entertainment alternative, providing a new game species. Unfortunately, various feral swine escaped captivity while others were intentionally released on public land to provide hunting populations (Davis, par.5). Missouri not only permitted feral swine hunting in this period but encouraged individuals to conduct the activity.
It is important to discern that feral swine are prolific and highly adaptable breeders. Due to this high reproductive capacity, their number quickly rose as they expanded to previously void areas of feral swine. These animals travel in groups known as Sounders and proved worthy adversaries of the state’s wildlife management services (USDA, par.14). Killing one or two individuals proved ineffective as they reproduced fast, making it difficult to dent their overall population. However, the state discerned that trapping feral swine was the most effective elimination method as it elicited the highest number of sounders compared with other eradication methods.
Threat to Local Flora and Fauna
Feral swine are a major problem as they eat almost anything. As a result, they lead to habitat destruction and outcompete the local fauna for food. Due to their diverse food, they survive better and have a greater capacity to reproduce. It is also necessary to determine that feral swine are a risky species that can transmit illnesses to other wild and domestic animals. They are a public nuisance and exhibit aggressive tendencies towards livestock, wildlife, and human beings (USDA, par.9). In this manner, this invasive species has been instrumental in contributing to a decline in the survival rate of endangered and threatened species in Missouri.
Additionally, these animals spend a considerable amount of time wallowing and rooting, greatly contributing to soil compaction, soil erosion, lower water quality, weaker soil structure, and adversely affecting hay fields and agricultural crop production in the state. Feral swine are also detrimental to Missouri’s flora and fauna because of their effects on air and soil quality. By devastating these important factions, they affect every organism within the state. Feral swine devastation results in damages that have been estimated at close to $1.5 billion every year (USDA, par.10). These costs are linked to damage caused by these animals and control them to prevent a rapid increase in their population. About $800 million of the allotted budget for these damages is elicited by their direct effects on the environment (USDA, par.10). This has led to a degradation in agricultural practice within the state.
Furthermore, it is important to determine the devastating effects of feral swine on the environment as they are forest stressors. In this instance, they are heavy foragers on acorns, putting them in direct competition with native species such as elk, bear, deer, and turkey for this seasonal resource. They feed on native amphibians, reptiles, small mammals such as deer fawns, and ground-dwelling birds’ young ones or eggs. The swine are also likely to cause irreversibly future change national scenic waterways, as in the case of eleven-point rivers, jacks fork, and the pristine current. It is necessary to recognize that the animals’ wallowing and rooting behaviors are detrimental to the ecosystem, adversely affecting natural places such as fens, glades, and springs (USDA, par.11; Davis, par.13). They hinder the state’s future capacity to conserve endangered and threatened plant and insect species such as Mead’s milkweed and Hine’s emerald dragonfly.
Elimination
Missouri’s terrain excludes various methods of eliminating the feral swine threat due to its rugged, steep, and forested landscape. Nonetheless, the state’s partnerships agencies are actively deploying large traps that capture sounders together. They detect the best locations to set up traps as areas with the most attractive features to swine based on resources such as food, water, shelter, or their movement pattern. This method is effective and has a capture efficiency ranging from 90% to 100% using the Missouri Drop Trap design (USDA 19). Additionally, organizations and agencies also use an integrated design to eradicate feral swine in the area. This includes night shooting using thermal or infrared equipment, dispatching with bait, and sharpshooting from a rotary or fixed-wing aircraft. Using these methods in conjunction with trapping leads to greater efficiency when dealing with the feral swine threat.
Conclusion
In conclusion, feral swine represent a critical problem for Missouri as they are an invasive species. The introduction of a rapidly reproducing animal alleviated the potential for other flora and fauna to compete effectively against its onslaught on the environment. The state’s government uses traps to capture sounders to reduce their number. It deems it necessary to reduce the adverse effects of feral swine on the ecosystem to avoid future disasters such as the extinction of various plant and animal species.
Works Cited
Davis, Candice. “Feral Hogs in Missouri: Illegal Release and Transport Has Driven up Damage over Decades”. Missouri Department of Conservation, 2020. Web.
USDA. “Feral Hogs”. Mark Twain National Forest – Land & Resources Management, United States Department of Agriculture. Web.