CRC Press Invasive Wild Pigs in North America: Ecology, Impacts, and Management

Throughout North America, non-native wild pigs have become an ecologically and economically destructive invasive species. Though they are regarded as a popular game species by some, provide economic benefits to others, and are even engrained into societal heritage in some areas, wild pigs are responsible for an extraordinary amount of damage in both natural and anthropogenic systems throughout North America. As the density and range of wild pig habitat have substantially increased over the last several decades, the magnitude and diversity of their negative impacts are not yet fully realized or quantified. With various conflicts continually emerging, wild pig management is difficult and expensive to achieve. As a result, wild pigs represent one of the greatest wildlife management challenges North America faces in the 21st century. Invasive Wild Pigs in North America: Ecology, Impacts, and Management addresses all aspects of wild pig biology, ecology, damage, and management in a single comprehensive volume. It assimilates and organizes information on the most destructive introduced vertebrate species in the United States, establishing a foundation from which managers, researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders can build upon into the future. The book provides comprehensive coverage of wild pig biology and ecology, techniques for management and research, and regional chapters. It is an asset to readers interested in wild pigs, the resources they impact, and how to mitigate those impacts, and establishes a vision of the future of wild pigs in North America. Features: Compiles valuable knowledge for a broad audience including wild pig managers, researchers, adversaries, and enthusiasts from across North America Addresses taxonomy, morphology, genetics, physiology, spatial ecology, population dynamics, diseases and parasites, and the naturalized niche of wild pigs Includes chapters on damage to resources, management, research methods, human dimensions and education, and policy and legislation Contains full color images and case studies of interesting and informative situations being created by wild pigs throughout North America Includes a chapter on wild pigs at the wildland–urban interface, a more recent and especially challenging issue About the Author PRIMARY EDITOR Dr Kurt C. VerCauteren leads research on invasive wild pigs at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) of USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services. He obtained a BS degree in wildlife from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and an MS and PhD in wildlife ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 1999, he became a Research Wildlife Biologist at NWRC, where he has focused primarily on damage and disease issues associated with deer, elk, wild pigs, and other mammals. Diseases he has focused on include bovine tuberculosis, chronic wasting disease, and rabies. He has authored or coauthored more than 190 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 23 book chapters. Kurt has served as an associate editor of the Wildlife Society Bulletin and Prairie Naturalist. Awards he has received include NWRC Research Scientist of the Year, NWRC Publication of the Year, and Wildlife Services Supervisor of the Year. COEDITORS Dr James C. Beasley is an Associate Professor at the Savannah River Ecology Lab and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. His research program is focused on wild pig ecology and management, carnivore ecology and management, spatial ecology and population dynamics of wildlife, wildlife health and disease ecology, and scavenging ecology. In addition to his research in the United States, Jim is involved in numerous international or overseas research projects, with recent or current projects in Belarus, Japan, Hawaii, and Guam. Since 2014, Jim also has served as the International Atomic Energy Association’s wildlife advisor to the Fukushima Prefecture Government in