TEXAS WILDLIFE
NOBLE NEWS AND VIEWS NOBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Wild Pigs
Kings of the Pecan Grove Article by JOSH GASKAMP, Noble Research Institute wildlife and range consultant and technical consultation manager / jagaskamp@noble.org and STEPHEN WEBB, PH.D., Noble Research Institute staff scientist, range and wildlife ecology / slwebb@noble.org
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WILD PIG RESEARCH ecause of the widespread problems caused by wild pigs, Noble Research Institute continues to study and develop tools to help producers control, manage and mitigate damage from wild pigs. For example, in 2012, Noble research validated a suspended trap system called BoarBuster, a solution for producers to capture entire sounders, including trap-shy animals. Past research also has documented prevalence of diseases impacting livestock producers and reduction of damage on rangeland following wild pig control. More recently, Noble Research Institute, in collaboration with Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, implemented a study to learn how wild pigs use agricultural landscapes and how damage can affect economic viability. The study was conducted on Noble Research Institute’s Red River Ranch, located in Love County, Oklahoma. The study had two main objectives: 1) learn how wild pig sounders, groups of related pigs, utilized pecan orchards and surrounding habitats and 2) measure the economic burden inflicted on pecan producers from pig damage in orchards. A planned outcome of this research was to build a tool that would help pecan producers measure economic damages from wild pigs in their operations. In September of 2016 and 2017, we equipped 29 sows with GPS collars. We To learn more about how Noble Research Institute supports agricultural producers through research, education and direct consultation, visit www.noble.org.
30 T E X A S W I L D L I F E
DECEMBER 2020
