A difficult to eradicate population of wild hogs are roaming Canada and officials worry they'll soon spill over to the United States. This population of "super pig" often consists of crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine, according to the Associated Press.
Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are already taking measures to prevent an invasion of the "super pig."
These wild pigs are spreading out of control in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, posing a new threat to native species.
Feral swine: America's got a $2.5 billion wild hog problem. These states see the worst of it.
Wild hogs are one of the most invasive animals
Since their introduction to the U.S. in the 1500's, the feral swine population expanded across more than three quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.
The wild animal has expanded westward and northward, with states like California, Hawaii, and Michigan reporting a fairly large feral hog populations.
Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, told the Associated Press that feral swine are, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.
'Super pigs' are difficult to eradicate
The wild pigs are smart and adaptable, making them very good at surviving brutal winters in Canada. Officials say they will eat anything, including wildlife and crops for survival. They spread diseases to hog farms like African swine fever. They tear up land easily and they reproduce quickly.
Brook told the Associated Press that even when 65% or more of a wild pig population is killed every year, the population will still increase. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3%.
“The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox." said Brook.
Managing the feral hog problem
In some states, total elimination of feral hogs is the end goal for conservationists.
The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership killed 9,857 feral hogs in 2021, bringing the total number of hogs killed since 2016 to more than 54,000.
Public hunting is one of the most popular mitigation tactics of wild hogs and has become a common recreational activity. But hogs often relocate in response to pressures of hunting. Fencing and trapping can be more effective in mitigating wild hog populations, but require more upkeep and investment, according to Captain Experiences.
Which states are most impacted by wild hogs?
Florida, Georgia and Texas have the most feral hog reports in the U.S, according to data from the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
In 2023 alone, Texas had 2,425 feral hog spotting's, followed by 1,377 in Georgia.
Invasive species and climate change: A perfect match? These animals thrive amid global warming.
I've seen a few vehicles that ran over large hogs, the damage is considerable. Know of one Biker that hit a wild boar, that wasn't pretty. So please Canada, we've already got enough problems on our southern border, don't send your problems south.
------------------ Rams Learning most of life's lessons the hard way. . You are only young once but, you can be immature indefinitely.
There is a very obvious solution; Open season on them- we are here and messing with the natural order- so we also need to take care of these problems that we created. Out west we have a lot of deer (In some places a LOT!!! of deer) We need to open the season more and allow more hunting- although we need to make sure the hunters have good eyesight.....
Hunting/shooting/trapping feral hogs won't get rid of them. AT BEST, it will only slightly decrease the rate at which new piglets are born, compared to the attrition rate of older breeding females. A young feral sow, at age 6 months can conceive and 120 days later gives birth (happens1-2 times per year), each brood containing 3-8 piglets. Each female in that brood will/may be ready for breeding 6 months later.
Texas has been fighting them for decades and now has somewhere between 2.5 to 3 million feral hogs. We are currently exterminating about 30% of the population thru aggressive hunting and trapping. We would have to increase that extermination rate to 75%/ year just to maintain a stable status quo of 2.5-3 million feral hogs.
Can it be done? Maybe, but it would require a huge change in Texas' hunting and licensing laws, making it possible for hunters from all 50 states to hunt here for free, and even that, it is way more than iffy and a big change in using the meat would have to come about. There are known disease issues, plus the smell and taste of feral hog meat is a big turn-off for most pork consumers. Extremely lean, and that means mostly fat free. Fat is what gives all meat it's good flavor. Feral hog meat has nearly 5X LESS fat than domestic raised pork, and 2X less than the leanest beef.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-24-2023).]
Originally posted by rinselberg: Invasive species and climate change: A perfect match? These animals thrive amid global warming.
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Originally posted by rinselberg: Keep those oil and gas wells going full tilt! Carbon, carbon, carbon. "Screw" EVs. Oink Oink!
rinselberg, we know you are reaching desperately seeking anything which will affirm your beliefs. Anything which validate Global Warming. Invasive species and climate change is not your vanguard (causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable).
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Originally posted by rinselberg: Evolution does not require that humans create a radically warmer climate for the planet—that's ridiculous.
I never said that. It is not required that humans create a cooler one either.
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Originally posted by rinselberg: Human societies have evolved in ways that are bringing about a radically warmer climate.
So says rinselberg. Radically ? One degree in 100 years ?
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Originally posted by rinselberg: Human societies have the potential to evolve even further, by finding ways to satisfy human needs and desires without bringing about a radically warmer climate.
That is an interesting thought. How much will that cost ? How much have we already spent. You don't know, do you ?
rinselberg, if Global Warming is such a dire predicament, why is the US Govt not paying us to solve the issue ? The US Govt pays for countries across the world to "support" Global Warming mitigation. With my money ! Those countries are laughing all the way to the bank.
Let's say we go carbon neutral by 2050. How will it affect the balance of CO2 levels ? The United States only puts 15% of today's CO2 in the atmosphere.
What is the cost / benefit analysis ?
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Originally posted by rinselberg: What cliffw seems to be saying is that the pursuit of Climate Mitigation, by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, is somehow "wrong" or "illogical," because it would offend the ghost of Charles Darwin. The ghost of Charles Darwin wants us to evolve by adapting ourselves to higher sea levels and all the other aspects of a radically warmer climate, and the ghost of Charles Darwin is offended by the idea that we would look for alternatives, via the pursuit of Climate Mitigation.
That seems to be what cliffw is saying with his phrase "trying to stop evolution." (I don't know what else to make of it.)
Originally posted by cliffw: rinselberg, if Global Warming is such a dire predicament, why is the US Govt not paying us to solve the issue ? The US Govt pays for countries across the world to "support" Global Warming mitigation. With my money ! Those countries are laughing all the way to the bank.
The Inflation Reduction Act has been described as the largest ever appropriation of federal monies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.
I can't break it down into its separable parts, just off the top of my head, but that kind of information is available online for climate policy wonks like cliffw to review.
The average daily high in Phoenix over the 31 days of July was 114.7 degrees, making July 2023 the city's hottest month on record and surpassing the old record, set in August of 2020, by a staggering 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 11-26-2023).]
The Inflation Reduction Act has been described as the largest ever appropriation of federal monies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.
I can't break it down into its separable parts, just off the top of my head, but that kind of information is available online for climate policy wonks like cliffw to review.
The average daily high in Phoenix over the 31 days of July was 114.7 degrees, making July 2023 the city's hottest month on record and surpassing the old record, set in August of 2020, by a staggering 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's a lie! Those clouds are just to discourage the "average" people from moving here.
All that sunny weather and we don't have to step over human waste when we go downtown. What more could a man ask for?
We haven't even entertained any Communist dictators lately.*
* Well, I guess that's not entirely true. Biden was here a couple of months ago.
[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 11-26-2023).]
Although a mass exodus from California has been observed in recent years, the pipeline to Arizona shows a unique path that more than 69,000 Californians took in 2021 and that 74,000 took in 2022. Newsweek, Oct 23, 2023
According to moveBuddha, Californians made up nearly a quarter of all migrants into Phoenix between 2016 and 2020, as well as 20.3% in Tucson. The American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that approximately 64,000 Californians moved to Arizona each year during that same time frame.Aug 29, 2023
Californians make up nearly a quarter of new Phoenix residents
Originally posted by rinselberg: The Inflation Reduction Act has been described as the largest ever appropriation of federal monies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.
Is that why democrats named it the Inflation Reduction Act ?
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Originally posted by rinselberg: The average daily high in Phoenix over the 31 days of July was 114.7 degrees, making July 2023 the city's hottest month on record and surpassing the old record, set in August of 2020, by a staggering 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
So ? Any deaths ? Are people fleeing ? Was any island over taken by the sea ?
You are not going to stop global warming ? We only emit 15% of the worlds CO2. I have worked physical outdoor jobs in 114% weather, a twelve hour shift.
[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 11-27-2023).]
I don't know about the taste of wild hogs, (I have heard people say they taste fine) but I do know that if a male hog is not castrated before slaughter the meat will taste different.
Originally posted by Mickey_Moose: Maybe you should look at those oil fields in your own state before telling other what to do?
I wasn't trying to single out Canada's oil and gas industry as a particular "bad guy," or lessen the culpability of oil and gas production in California.
I wasn't aware that the oil and gas industry in California has come under fire for being more "carbon intensive" than the oil that's being produced from the Alberta tar sands or oil sands.
Originally posted by rinselberg: The Inflation Reduction Act has been described as the largest ever appropriation of federal monies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.
I can't break it down into its separable parts, just off the top of my head, but that kind of information is available online for climate policy wonks like cliffw to review.
The average daily high in Phoenix over the 31 days of July was 114.7 degrees, making July 2023 the city's hottest month on record and surpassing the old record, set in August of 2020, by a staggering 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Was that because of Global Warming ? Did Global Warming also cause the 5" of snow to fall on Hawaii a day or so ago ?
Originally posted by cliffw: Was that because of Global Warming? Did Global Warming also cause the 5" of snow to fall on Hawaii a day or so ago?
There has already been discussion of how this year of 2023 shapes up statistically as confirmation of Global Warming. That includes the long string of 100+ temperature days that made July 2023 the hottest month ever recorded for Phoenix.
This snow in Hawaii has precedent. There is snow at the higher elevations of Hawaii, where the volcanoes rise up, but it's mostly rain across the islands, away from the higher elevations. It pales in significance, compared to the way that 2023 has brought on the heat in so many places around the world, and in both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres.
There has already been discussion of how this year of 2023 shapes up statistically as confirmation of Global Warming. That includes the long string of 100+ temperature days that made July 2023 the hottest month ever recorded for Phoenix.
Nope.
Phoenix warming is not Global warming. I have addressed this misconception before.
Nope. Phoenix warming is not Global warming. I have addressed this misconception before.
I think I could find reports online that have meteorologists and climate researchers saying that the July weather in Phoenix has the fingerprints of global warming caused by greenhouse gases.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 12-03-2023).]
Originally posted by rinselberg: There has already been discussion of how this year of 2023 shapes up statistically as confirmation of Global Warming. That includes the long string of 100+ temperature days that made July 2023 the hottest month ever recorded for Phoenix.
I don't fear Global Warming. Evolution is a good thing.
The ilk you hang out with are worried about a one degree increase in 100 years. Yet, they want to overload the electric grid whereas many will experience 20 to more degrees of uncomfort when power goes out.
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Originally posted by rinselberg: This snow in Hawaii has precedent. There is snow at the higher elevations of Hawaii, where the volcanoes rise up, but it's mostly rain across the islands, away from the higher elevations. It pales in significance, compared to the way that 2023 has brought on the heat in so many places around the world, and in both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres.
You have refused to answer my questions about global warming.
There is a very obvious solution; Open season on them- we are here and messing with the natural order- so we also need to take care of these problems that we created. Out west we have a lot of deer (In some places a LOT!!! of deer) We need to open the season more and allow more hunting- although we need to make sure the hunters have good eyesight.....
Hell, same here in NJ, lots and lots of deer. All I need to do is look out my window at just about anytime and there they are. Makes the trip to and from work interesting, especially during the rut. Insurance companies bare the brunt of it through comprehensive coverage of a deer impact. And it's not global warning, it's all the open space being eaten up by developers, "suburban sprawl"; where are they supposed to go? Cars have turned into their "natural predators".
Originally posted by cliffw: The ilk you hang out with are worried about a one degree increase in 100 years.
That's nonsense. You wouldn't keep repeating that if you would take the time to learn a decent amount about what "the ilk I hang out with" are actually saying. I don't mean reading scientific research reports, but reading or viewing summaries of Global Warming that are created for non-specialist readers—like you and me.
I think it's easy to find "Global Warming 101" (summary or overview) kinds of videos on YouTube.
Some of these presentations could have "Climate Change" instead of "Global Warming" in their titles, which is something to keep in mind when using keywords as search parameters.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 12-05-2023).]
Originally posted by cliffw: The ilk you hang out with are worried about a one degree increase in 100 years. Yet, they want to overload the electric grid whereas many will experience 20 to more degrees of uncomfort when power goes out.
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Originally posted by rinselberg: That's nonsense. You wouldn't keep repeating that if you would take the time to learn a decent amount about what "the ilk I hang out with" are actually saying. I don't mean reading scientific research reports, but reading or viewing summaries of Global Warming that are created for non-specialist readers—like you and me.
I am not shy. If you really believed in Global Warming you would be educating us on where to go to listen to them.
Originally posted by cliffw: I am not shy. If you really believed in Global Warming you would be educating us on where to go to listen to them.
An rinselberg-endorsed YouTube video, 14 minutes from start to finish. Just the first few minutes alone are informative. It has the imprimatur of the PBS or Public Broadcasting System. It was posted to YouTube on September 6, 2022... so just over a year ago. Recent and relevant.
A “tipping point” is when a system, with just a small amount of additional energy, is pushed from one stable state to another suddenly and dramatically. This can be a chair falling backwards. Or it can be a major earth system collapsing. The IPCC recently identified 15 potential climate-related tipping points that scientists have grown increasingly worried we are getting close to crossing due to global warming.
In this episode of "Weathered," we look at 6 of the major candidates, how they are all interconnected and influence each other, and what it would mean if they were triggered. These tipping points or tipping elements are the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the Amazon rainforest, global monsoons, the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) and the earth’s permafrost and coral reefs.
The consequences for any of these systems being pushed over the edge would be truly catastrophic and would encompass everything from massive droughts, loss of biodiversity, increased flooding, heat waves, large scale climate migration, food shortages, and much more.
"Weathered" is a show hosted by weather expert Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 12-09-2023).]
After a brief "personal," she describes the salaried and intern positions that comprise her Experience.
She says that she studied Geography and Atmospheric Science as an undergraduate at the University of Missouri-Columbia from 2011 to 2015, but does not list a degree.
Canadian hogs have the biggest balls of them all ! Effete personalities unsure of their gender may look upon the ponderous balls to affirm what manhood, in a pig way, means. May I lift your left nut, Sir ? Use two hands sonny, they're quite the handful ! Your hands are warm, that's nice. Careful you don't get nutted sonny, they're liable to pop off at the slightest hint of kootchy ! Why, tickle my nuts with a feather ! We're off to the slaughter, may I get one last hump in ? Canadian Bacon
