Rooting for Pigs

Observation of the week! Fall colors and a majestic wild pig in Mendocino County, California. Photo by bryceking/iNaturalist.org.

If your family went missing, and you didn't know what had happened to them, how would you react? A new study asked if wild pigs who experience the traumatic loss of family members flee in fear or hunker down for safety (or are they searching for family?).

Last week, the @usdagov.bsky.social Wildlife Services program posted its annual impact report. Wild pigs are the #1 mammal targeted. In 2025, government sharpshooters and trappers killed 131,740 wild pigs in 30 states (more than twice the number of coyotes killed). #WildlifeServices

Heart of the Forest may be our favorite social media site! Check out their wonderful wildlife videos from the Forest of Dean (UK), such as this one: www.facebook.com/share/v/1Bpj...

This photo was taken last week in southwestern Utah. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources suspects that wild pigs have been intentionally released by people hoping to create new hunting opportunities. (photo credit: tinawiley / iNaturalist.org)

Researchers studying wild pigs in Brazil concluded that pigs acted as seed dispersers for native plants, compensating for the loss of native fruit-eating animals.

Two pigs on the island of Oahu. Polynesians brought pigs to the Hawaiian Islands as early as 1000 CE. August 7 photo by Chris/iNaturalist.org.

There are humane ways to prevent problems with wild pigs. Learning to coexist with pigs and other wildlife is always a better option than trapping and killing!

Beautiful photo taken last month near San Antonio, Texas. Photo by NoNiSs/iNaturalist.org.

We know it's a comedy show and wild pigs provide a lot of material for laughs. But last night's show was a missed opportunity to challenge preconceived notions and expose some of the over-the-top, apocalyptic claims made about the animals.

Opinion piece in today's @postopinions.bsky.social points to the hunting and trapping of pigs for profit as an impediment to effective population control: "...while some see the hogs as a problem, others see a revenue stream." (www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...)

Contrary to common assumption, wild pigs have ecological impacts that are sometimes positive! A new study found that wild pigs reduced "invasive" plants in forests in the eastern United States. Read more: rootingforpigs.com/wild-pigs-fe...

We're happy that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp agreed with our concerns and vetoed $200,000 allocated for a "feral hog eradication incentive program" in the state budget: capitol-beat.org/2026/05/fat-...

We love this photo of a family of pigs in Louisiana. Photo taken on April 25 by ry_bru/iNaturalist.org.

Observation of the week! A pig on the edge of Lake Smart in Winter Haven, Florida. Photo taken on April 7 by Scott Allen Davis/iNaturalist.org.

Wild pigs can become domesticated; domestic pigs can become wild. Definition problems doom Ohio bill.

Two pigs watch warily from the woods in Richland County, South Carolina. Photo taken on April 2 by johngrego/iNaturalist.org.

It is wrong to torment and mutilate an animal for entertainment. Photos from The Advocate newspaper show a pig at a baying event in Winnfield, Louisiana who suffered horrible injuries.

"Our environmental crisis isn't driven by invasive species; it is driven by capitalism." Read our review of Scapegoat, the new book by Clare Follman (available from @akpress.org).

Last month, as part of "National Invasive Species Awareness Week," the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recommended eating wild pigs and other introduced species as a way to reduce their numbers. But "Eat the Invaders" may not be a great idea. Read more: rootingforpigs.com/why-eat-the-...

A group of pigs at sunrise in the hills outside San Jose, California. Photo taken this week by Kate Ruiz-Cox and posted on @inaturalist.bsky.social, the platform where people around the world share photos and other observations of plants and animals.

Thanks to researchers from the Univ. of Georgia for this photograph of a nest full of piglets! Did you know that pigs are the only ungulates (mammals with hooves) that regularly build nests? Researchers hoped to better understand where wild pigs choose to give birth: srel.uga.edu/looking-clos...

Our website (and this Bluesky page) is new, but we've been fascinated by wild pigs for a long time. Our goals are to challenge misconceptions, advocate against the worst abuses suffered by wild pigs, and promote sustainable coexistence.