Invasive Species Spotlight: Feral Hogs

Have you ever been hiking at a Hillsborough County Nature Preserve and wondered to yourself why the edges of the trail have been tilled up?

If so, you aren’t alone- it’s one of the most common questions we get asked, and the answer might surprise you.

Trail damage at Bell Creek Nature Preserve 

The cause of this widespread rooting is the feral hog, Sus scrofa. Technically the same species as the domestic pig, these animals cause over a billion dollars of land damage every year in the United States. They root for acorns and underground tubers with their snouts, turning up clods of dirt and killing grass and other plants. A single group, or sounder, of hogs can root up multiple acres in a day, ruining trails, rights-of-way, farm fields, and even golf courses. 

A sounder of feral hogs travels down the trail in a Hillsborough County nature preserve

Feral hogs aren’t only a nuisance to humans- they’ve caused plenty of harm to Florida’s native wildlife species too. Hogs are not native to the Americas, but were brought over by early European explorers in the 1500s. Their ability to reproduce quickly and eat just about anything has made them into one of the most successful invasive animal species in the country- their population has grown to over 75 million individuals! 

These omnivorous creatures don’t just eat many plants that native animals depend on for food- they also eat native wildlife, including many mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. They’re known nest predators of some threatened species including the gopher tortoise and sea turtle. If given the opportunity, feral hogs will even attack young livestock animals for food! Hogs also carry many diseases and parasites which can affect livestock, native mammals like deer and raccoons, and even humans. 

A large feral hog on a Hillsborough County nature preserve

Public land management organizations all across Florida have been working to reduce the population of feral hogs for decades. Hillsborough County has a program which allows contractors to remove feral hogs from many of our public conservation lands, helping to keep our native plants and animals safe. For more information about feral hogs in Florida, please visit the FWC’s web page on feral hogs.