Wild pigs as large as 250 pounds have infiltrating parks in the foothills of the San Francisco Bay area.
Though the pigs aren't new arrivals, they appear to be spreading. In the past 14 months, trappers have caught hundreds of pigs from Mount Diablo to the hills south of San Francisco and north into Sonoma County.
One East Bay parks official says pigs frequent 10 parks now, up from just a few five years ago.
"Once they get established, they can't be stopped," said Joe DiDonato, wildlife program manager for the East Bay Regional Parks District. "They just keep on coming."
None of this is good news for native wildlife like quail and squirrels. Pigs eat their acorns. And by rooting for food, the pigs also hasten erosion and harm the habitats of reptiles and amphibians.
The problem is that while pigs may not be rabbits, they are prolific reproducers. Most breed twice a year, producing four to 10 piglets each time. Not enough young are taken by predators to stop expansion.
Professional trappers have killed more than 2,000 wild pigs during the past five years. In the past week alone, a dozen of the pigs were trapped, including a 250-pound boar near the Crystal Springs Watershed on the Peninsula, and three sows with 15 babies at Wilder Ranch<
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craigwiesner said:
Thank you so much for sharing this and opening the space to what I hope will plant the seeds of discussion and action that can save lives.
Thomas Morgan said:
No need to worry about being replaced by AI, you are being replaced by an apartment.
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