Paul Curtis of Cornell University reports that non-native wild hogs are gaining a foothold in New York State.
Curtis, an expert on wildlife-human conflicts and a professor of Natural Resources at Cornell, said breeding populations of wild boar are becoming established in New York State.
These invasive, non-native hogs can cause tremendous damage to crops and native plant communities.
There is also a risk of spreading diseases, such as pseudorabies, from feral hogs to domestic livestock.
He added, Feral swine produce rapidly, have large litters of six to eight piglets, and can produce multiple litters per year.
Curtis says that now is the time to control the abundance of feral hogs before the population explodes.
A conservative estimate of wild pig damage to crops and the environment is $1.5 billion annually in the U.S.