Eurasian wild boar, Sus scrofa scrofa, are mid-sized hoofed mammals with long, pointed heads and stocky builds. The hair is coarse with long bristles, and it can be solid, spotted, or belted in color. The tails are sparsely haired and straight (never coiled like the tail of a domestic pig). Boars have four continually growing tusks that can be extremely sharp. When domestic pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, live outdoors, they grow hair quickly, becoming hard to distinguish from European wild boar. Reproduction generally happens during two peak breeding seasons: winter and early summer. Offspring disperse after a year with the mother, and they are usually sexually mature by a year and a half. Sows can produce 2 to 4 litters of 4 to 12 piglets per year. Eurasian wild boar and domestic pigs can interbreed. Feral swine means any type of swine living outside of captivity. Feral swine can be Eurasian wild boar, domestic pigs, or hybrids of the two.
Any pigs loose on the landscape can change soil and water chemistry and trample and severely disturb plant and animal habitat. They also destroy cropland; dig up and eat vegetation; eat native species including reptiles, small mammals, amphibians, and ground nesting birds; and can transmit diseases and parasites to livestock and people. Pig diseases can cause economic losses to producers.
REGULATIONS: Feral swine are any pig species living in the wild. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) is a prohibited invasive species. Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) are regulated differently if they escape. Report any pig you see outside of containment to local law enforcement and the DNR. Do not attempt to shoot or capture pigs. They are very smart and quickly learn to avoid humans, making successful management hard.
Trail cam image of five feral swine in the state of Mississippi from iNaturalist.
Squeal on Pigs! is a campaign used in other states to help look for, report and manage feral swine. This video from the Montana Department of Agriculture is great and very applicable to us here in Minnesota.
Our best early detection tools are likely concerned community members and cameras in the landscape like trail cams and security equipment. If you find images of feral swine, please report them quickly.
Feral swine photo in Ontario, Canada from iNaturalist.
Report any pigs you see outside of a fence or containment area to local law enforcement and the DNR (your local conservation officer, wildlife office, and/or the terrestrial invasive species program coordinator). In many cases, the exact type of pig (Eurasian wild boar, escaped domestic pig, hybrid, etc.) cannot be determined visually. Reporters are not expected to know the exact type of pig it is and should report all loose pigs.
Questions about this project? Contact Angela Gupta, UMN Extension Forester, agupta@umn.edu.