Pest Control Services for Feral Pigs in Australia
M&P Vertebrate Pest Control provides monitoring and controlled methods of removing Feral Pigs.
Feral pigs cost the Australian agricultural industry over $100 million each year, largely via predation of lambs, competition with livestock, and damage to property and crops. Industries such as wool, meat (cattle and sheep), grains, sugar, and bananas are directly affected. Feral pigs also host serious diseases with the potential to devastate livestock operations.
Crops damaged by feral pigs include cereals, grain legumes, sugar cane, orchard and forestry plantings, and pasture. Physical damage to fencing and water supplies occurs, as well as increased soil erosion and reduced water quality resulting from rooting and wallowing.
Rooting of soil causes physical damage, erosion, and affects soil fauna. Rooting reduces the ground cover, sometimes changes the composition of plant communities and can encourage invasion by weeds. Feeding on native plants and animals is directly destructive, and presumably results in competition with native animals dependent on the same food resources.
What Are Feral Pigs?
Feral pigs in Australia descend from domestic swine but look more similar to Eurasia’s wild boar than their domestic counterparts. They tend to have sparse, coarse hair on lean and muscular frames, well-developed necks and shoulders that taper to short hindquarters. Colouration is predominantly black, rust-coloured or black and white spotted. Females are usually smaller and weigh less (50–60 kg) than males (80–100 kg). Pigs have keen senses of smell and taste and good hearing, but their eyesight is generally poor.
Pigs arrived with the first fleet in 1788 and were the only stock that thrived in the early years of settlement. By 1795, free-ranging pigs were such a nuisance that an order was issued allowing landholders to shoot any pig found on their property. Nonetheless, pigs were generally kept in an unrestrained, semi-feral state until the 1860’s when property fencing started to become widespread. These conditions allowed feral populations to establish in many areas.
Today, feral pigs are widely distributed in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Their natural spread and persistence in the landscape has been assisted by illegal, deliberate releases and translocations.
Feral pigs occupy a diverse range of habitats including rangelands, alpine regions, tropical rainforests, floodplains and wetlands. They are not usually found in Australia’s arid interior as they need regular food, water and shelter, particularly in hotter conditions. Feral pigs tend to stay within defined home ranges, but will move in response to seasonal requirements or regular disturbance.
Quick Facts
- Today there are up to 24 million feral pigs across about 45% of Australia
- Feral pigs cost the agricultural industry over $100 million each year
- Feral pigs generally restrict their activity to cooler parts of the day
- Feral pigs prey on up to 70% of sea turtle nests in far-north Queensland
- Feral pigs are susceptible to and can be hosts of a number of exotic parasites and diseases
Experienced Team of Vertebrate Pest Control Specialists
Looking to get rid of Feral Pigs from your property? Speak with our pest control experts about on-site surveillance, Feral Pig traps, eradication program and relocation services. Our experienced team can help with the removal of Feral Pigs nationwide and service both rural and suburban areas across Australia. Request a free quote online today and our team will be in contact with you as soon as possible to discuss a solution.
