2012 Georgia Wild Pig Survey Final Report

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2012 Georgia Wild Pig Survey Final Report 2012 Georgia Wild Pig Survey Final Report Michael T Mengak, PhD, CWB©, Professor-Wildlife Outreach Specialist, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA [email protected] 1 Revised 1 July 2015 Summary No matter what we call them, free-ranging hogs can be very destructive to forests, farms, orchards, crops, and timber plantations. A six-page questionnaire was developed during the summer/fall of 2011 with input from members of the Georgia Feral Hog Working Group. Questions were taken or adapted from existing similar wild pig surveys recently completed in other southern states. A total of 1200 surveys were delivered to randomly selected recipients and 471 useable surveys were returned. This yielded a response rate of 39.25%. Most respondents reported having wild hog damage to land they farm and that the damage was first noticed more than five years ago. The cumulative impact of multiple years of damage can take a substantial toll -financial and emotional - on the landowner or agricultural producer. This burden is addressed throughout the survey. The most common type of damage was from rooting and grubbing. Peanuts, corn, and cotton were the crops most frequently reported damaged. Respondents were asked to self-report a dollar amount of damage to crops or crop related damage and damage to items other than crops. Respondents (N=177) reported an average loss to crops and/or crop related damage (e.g., damage to equipment, etc.) due to wild pigs during 2011 of $10,163 per respondent (Range $100 - $100,000). The total losses reported by respondents during 2011 were $1,798,800. Expanding this to the southwest Extension District (41 counties) results in an estimated amount of wild pig damage to crops and/or crop related damage in excess of 40 million dollars ($40,803,927). Respondents (N=120) reported an average loss to items other than crops (e.g., timber, food plots, lease values, etc.) due to wild pigs during 2011 of $5,381 per respondent (Range $25 - $100,000). The total non-crop losses reported by respondents during 2011 were $645,775. Expanding this figure to the region reveals an estimated amount of wild pig damage to non-crop values in excess of $20 million dollars ($20,658,772). Together losses due to wild pigs reportedly exceeded 61 million dollars in 2011. Respondents felt that most control measures were not highly effective and that state and federal agencies should provide more assistance with wild pig control. Questions related to knowledge, opinions and attitudes about wild pigs revealed that survey participants differed in their knowledge of wild pigs but generally opinions about the animal were negative and the perceived need for control was widespread. Clearly, there is much need for additional educational outreach concerning wild pigs. As indicated by responses to questions throughout this survey, the origin, disease risk, ecological role, and effective control methods of wild pigs are all areas in need of additional educational efforts. Future research could be directed at the impact of wild pigs on other game species. Many respondents perceived a decline in white-tail deer, wild turkey, and northern bobwhite and attributed this decline, at least partially, to the abundance and activity of wild pigs. 2 Introduction Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are not native to United States. Most authorities believe they were first introduced by the Spanish in the mid-1500. Many hogs present in our forests and fields today are descendants of farm animals turned loose from family farms during the Depression and early part of the 20th century. Other feral hogs originated from animals intentionally released for stocking and hunting opportunities - a practice that is generally illegal throughout most of the South. Some stock is reported to be imported from Europe - so called Photo 1. Sounder of wild pigs “Russian Boars” or “Russian Wild Hogs.” All pigs (or hogs) are the same species and there is no biological difference between farm pigs, wild boars, or feral hogs. Farm pigs will revert to the natural color, size, and attitude of “wild boars” within a few short generations. They will be generically referred to as wild pigs in this report. No matter what we call them, free-ranging wild pigs can be very destructive to forests, farms, orchards, crops, and timber plantations. They can also be a challenging animal to hunt and are pursued by many big game hunters throughout the southeastern US. Wild pigs are reported to occur in 38 states. In most cases, they cause significant financial and ecological damage. They carry important diseases that may be transmitted to hunters, domestic livestock and pets. In a recent study in the journal Human-Wildlife Interactions, swine brucellosis was reported in up to 14% of animals tested with highest occurrence of infected animals in South Carolina, Alabama, and Hawaii. Physical descriptions of wild pigs and valuable information about their management, control, spread, ecology, and biology are available in recent publications. These are available from the Berryman Institute (www.berrymaninstiture.org/publications; Monograph No. 1 - Managing Wild Pigs: A Technical Guide); Mississippi State University Extension Service (http://msucares.com/pubs; Publication 2659 - A landowner’s guide for wild pig management); and the Warnell School Outreach Publication Library at the University of Georgia (http://www.warnell.uga.edu/outreach/pubs/wildlife.php). While information is easily available on the biology and ecology of wild pigs, less is known about their management, control, and impacts to farms, agricultural producers, and landowners. Few studies are available on public attitudes towards wild pigs and their presence in the environment. The objectives of this project were to use a statistically valid and reliable survey and methodology: 1 - to assess the extent of wild pig distribution in the Southwest Cooperative Extension District (SWED or “SW District”) of Georgia; 2 - to assess the damage (physical and economic) attributable to wild pigs in the SW District; and, 3 - to gather information on the opinions of landowners regarding the presence of wild pigs in the SW District. 3 Methods The Southwest Extension District of Georgia (http://extension.uga.edu/about/county/district.cfm?pk_id=114) includes 41 counties with headquarters in Tifton, GA. In the spring of 2011, district personnel - responding to numerous complaints and inquires for citizens, farmers, and landowners - contacted the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS) office in Albany, GA seeking guidance on wild pig management. After several meetings, it was determined that a reasonable course of action would be to form the SW Georgia Wild Pig Working Group modeled after a similar group in South Carolina. The first Working Group meeting was held in June 2011 at Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College (ABAC) in Tifton, GA. Attendees Photo 2. Wild pig rooting damage to agriculture field in represented numerous wildlife management and agriculture interests southwest Georgia. including USDA-APHIS-WS, ABAC, State Veterinarian Office, GA Department of Natural Resources (GaDNR) - Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) and Law Enforcement (LE), University of Georgia - Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources (Warnell), Jones Ecological Research Center (Jones Center), and other agencies and organizations. Several approaches were outlined to address the growing problems that wild pigs were causing in the District. One approach was a research based survey to assess the extent and general nature of the problem. This survey was conducted by Dr. Michael T. Mengak, Professor - Wildlife Outreach Specialist at the Warnell School. The results of this survey are reported in this document. During the summer and fall of 2011, funds were raised from multiple partners to support the survey described in this report. Funding partners included the Georgia Farm Bureau, the Georgia Peanut Commission, the Georgia Cotton Commission, the Warnell School at UGA, the office of the Associate Dean of Extension- College of Agriculture and Life Science, UGA, the Georgia Forestry Association, and the Quality Deer Management Association. Additional support was received from the SW District of the UGA Cooperative Extension Service, USDA Wildlife Services, the Jones Ecological Research Center, and the Southern Extension Forester. The SW District provided access to their databases of names of producers, clients, landowners, farmers and citizen who had previously attended a Cooperative Extension Service educational program. The database was a MS Excel spreadsheet consisting of four separate parts with more than 17,000 names and addresses. The four parts were merged; duplicates and businesses were deleted resulting in a useable database of over 12,000 names. From this list, 1,300 names and addresses were randomly chosen using the random number generator in the MS Excel spreadsheet. In addition, the Jones Center supplied a database of their cooperating landowners (approximately 140 names). From the Jones Center list, 37 names and addresses were randomly chosen in the same manner and the two lists were combined to form a single list of 1,337 names and addresses. 4 A six-page questionnaire was developed during summer/fall 2011 with input from members of the SW Georgia Wild Pig Working Group. Questions were taken from similar wild pig surveys recently completed in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. In addition, questions were taken from a recent survey of Georgia residents regarding attitudes towards black bears in Georgia. All questions were modified (re-written or re-phrased) to apply to Georgia and to wild pigs. Members of the working group task force on research reviewed the questions, suggesting changes and additional questions. The Farm Bureau and two commissions commented on early drafts of the questionnaire. The SW District Cooperative Extension Service also reviewed the questions. Experts in survey research also provided input in the survey design.
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