Feral Hogs
Dangers of Hogs
Hogs are an Old World species that has existed since before the Ice Age. Evidence indicates that early man hunted and ate feral swine and that these animals continued to thrive throughout the Stone Age in Europe and Asia. Hogs may have been domesticated about 7000 B.C. Explorers such as De Soto, Cortes and LaSalle brought them to the New World. They have been in Texas since the 1680s and were important livestock to the early settlers, who usually allowed their animals to roam free. When confronted by war and economic hard times, settlers often had to abandon their homesteads on short notice, leaving their animals to fend for themselves. Thus, many free-ranging domesticated hogs became feral over time.