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US faces ticking ‘feral swine bomb’ as millions of wild pigs run rampant across country

A population explosion among wild boars in the US has led experts to warn that a "feral swine bomb," if left unchecked, could wreak havoc on large swaths of the country.

Undark Magazine reported on the explosion of the pig population, which has caused an estimated $2.5bn worth of damages every year.

Feral hogs trample and tear-up crops, attack livestock, and can destroy sensitive habitats. The pigs also act as disease carriers. They can host more than 30 viral and bacterial diseases as well as scores of parasites. There are approximately 9 million feral hogs in the US, and their numbers are multiplying quickly.

Thirty years ago, only 17 states had feral hog populations. Today, there are at least 39 states dealing with the animals' destructive tendencies.

Dale Nolte, manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the US Department of Agriculture, told Undark Magazine that their exponential population growth has experts concerned.

"They multiply so rapidly. To go from a thousand to two thousand, it's not a big deal. But if you've got a million, it doesn't take long to get to 4 [million], then 8 million," he said.

In some parts of the country, like Florida, Georgia and California, the feral hog population has grown wildly out of control. Both California and Texas have encouraged the recreational hunting of the pigs, but their attempts to cull the population backfired; in response to the hunting, the pigs simply scattered throughout the state, increasing the scope of the problem.

Data suggests that in Colorado, for example, hunting pigs will actually increase their travelling distance by up to 100 miles.

Montana outright banned the hunting of wild boars after a 2013 incident in which Texas man attempted to bring the beasts into the state to hunt them commercially. Two years later, the state passed legislation banning hunting of feral pigs and prohibiting their transportation or ownership in the state. Those found breaking the feral swine laws could be hit with up to $10,000 fines.

The pigs are especially dangerous because of their genetics.

The wild boars are the offspring of domestic big breeds and the European wild boar.

As a result of the mix, the pigs inherit the intelligence, heightened sense of smell and rugged survivability from the hogs, and their exceptional fertility - thanks to years of husbandry - from the pigs.

When pigs escape their enclosures and breed in the wild - even with other domestic pigs - their offspring can eventually revert to a feral phenotype after just a few generations - less than 20 years.

"The problem with the hybrids is you get all of the massive benefits of all of that genetics," researchers said.

A few states have started awareness campaigns meant to urge the public to report the pigs so authorities can destroy them.

Washington, Oregon and Montana have a "Squeal on Pigs" information campaign that urges residents to call a 24-hour phone hotline to report pig sightings.

Though Montana has received praise from experts for its use of legislation and public information to help contain the flood of pigs, there is fear that too little is being done to get the creatures under control.

Ryan Brook, a biologist with the University of Saskatchewan that researches animals, said the efforts are just a small part of what is needed to truly contain the pigs.

"The efforts to deal with them are about 1 per cent of what's currently needed," he said.

Reference: Independent: Graig Graziosi 5 days ago: 21/09/2020

Humpback Whales Move North. Warm Oceans May Be the Cause

Humpback whales are steadily moving north, and warmer seas and melting ice may be the reason.

The whales, which move between the Antarctic and the southern tips of three continents, will be the focus of a six-year, $5 million study into their migration routes by eight research institutions across South America, South Africa and Australia.

“Their migratory behavior is changing, they are going further and further north,” said Alakendra Roychoudhury, an environmental geochemist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. “If the physical and chemical conditions of the oceans change, what will happen to the whales?”

The study will involve multiple cruises to the whales’ feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica and the coastlines of the three where they breed. It will combine historical migration and whale-sighting data with the new research to determine the impact of both warmer oceans and melting ice, which may change the chemical nature of the ocean, Roychoudhury said by phone Tuesday.

In South Africa, the humpbacks, which eat phytoplankton and krill and weigh 30 tons when adult, have been seen in large numbers, known as super groups, further and further up the west coast toward Namibia.

“This has never happened before,” Roychoudhury said. “Off the Australian coast they are seeing similar kinds of things.”

Roychoudhury conceptualized the study together with Brendan Mackey, director of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program at Griffith University in Australia. Researchers from Chile, Brazil, Ecuador and Panama will also participate.

The project will have 16 full-time researchers.

Humpback Whales Move North. Warm Oceans May Be the Cause

Reference: Bloomberg:By Antony Sguazzin: 22 September 2020, 23:00 BST

Australia says majority of 470-strong beached whale pod has died

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The majority of a 470-strong pod of pilot whales found stranded off Australia’s remote southern coast has died, officials said on Wednesday, as rescuers struggled in freezing waters and fading light to free those still alive. The group, which is the biggest beaching in the country’s modern history, were first spotted a wide sandbank during an aerial reconnaissance of rugged Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania state on Monday.

After two days of a difficult and dangerous rescue attempt, state marine scientists said at least 380 of the long-finned pilot whales had died.

By late Wednesday, around fifty of the mammals were freed but experts said there was a high likelihood they would return as many did during the rescue attempt a day earlier, creating an exhausting loop for rescuers who cannot work through the night.

The outlook for the remaining 30 stranded and still alive pilot whales, a species of oceanic dolphin that grow to 7 metres (23 ft) long and can weigh up to 3 tonnes, was bleak.

“As time goes on, they do become fatigued and their chance of survival reduces,” Nic Deka, Parks and Wildlife Service incident controller said. “We do expect to rescue more but increasingly our focus is what do with the carcasses.”

The refloating process involves as many as four or five people per whale wading waist-deep in freezing water, attaching slings to the animals so they can be guided out of the harbour by a boat.

The stranding, about 200 kms (120 miles) northwest of the state capital Hobart, is the biggest on record in modern Australia and one of the largest in the world, drawing attention to a natural phenomenon that remains a mystery to scientists.

“It’s certainly a major event and of great concern when we potentially lose that many whales out of a stranding event,” said Peter Harrison, a professor at the Southern Cross University Whale Research Group.

“Quite often we only get to really see them when there are bad outcomes, such as this stranding event. We absolutely need some more investment in research to understand these whales in Australian waters.”

In 1996, 320 pilot whales washed up on the coast of Western Australia, in what was then reported to be the country’s biggest mass stranding. About 600 pilot whales beached in nearby New Zealand in 2017.

Reference: Reuters : By Byron Kaye: 23/09/2020

Longhorn cattle return to Wanstead park in east London after 150 years

One of London's oldest parks is today welcoming a herd of rare cows which haven't been at the site for over 150 years. The new herd of longhorn cattle was let out to graze on Wanstead Park, east London, this morning to help maintain rare acid grasslands.

The habitat, which is now threatened and exists only in scattered patches around the capital, supports a wide range of rare and beautiful plants and animals including insects and spiders. It is also home to a variety of butterflies including small heath, small copper, and common blue.

These species like the hot ground conditions in the summer and autumn and rely on plant life and seasonal cycles unique to acid grassland. The park lies on the fringes of Epping Forest, where the cattle have been grazing for the last 1,000 years.

This morning's reintroduction of cattle marks the start of The City of London Corporation's two-month trial across September and October to help conserve the species that live on the grade-II listed park. Graeme Doshi-Smith, chairman of the City of London Corporation's Epping Forest and Commons Committee, said: 'Our grazing pilot is helping us identify better ways to protect Wanstead Park's historic views at the same time as conserving a wide range of species and supporting an even better ecological balance at the site.

'Grazing is used as a natural way to manage grasslands and meadows across Epping Forest.

'As part of the programme we have prevented encroachment by scrub and more vigorous grasses in favour or rarer plants and herbs, benefitting a whole range of insects and birds. 'It is exciting to be grazing heritage cattle here in this East London park, right on the edge of our capital city.'

The habitat is under threat from advancing scrubland and could be lost if it isn't properly managed.

To avoid having to use unattractive electric fences, the cattle will be stopped from wandering too far by a GPS collar system that creates an audio signals when the animals cross an invisible boundary.

While conservationists hope that visitors will enjoy sharing the park with the cows, they ask that people avoid feeding or approaching them.

The history of grazing cattle in Epping Forest

For more than a thousand years people have exercised their right to graze cattle on Epping Forest, as part of the commoners right to do so. In 1912, there were as many as 972 cattle roaming freely in the forest.

The ancient tradition in Epping Forest took place continuously until the outbreak of BSE (mad cow disease) in the mid 1990s, and no more cattle were released after 1996. A herd of English Longhorn cattle were re-introduced to graze in an area of Epping Forest at Fairmead and Chingford in 2002 and since then Red poll cattle have also been introduced.

The importance of their historical link to the forest - dating back thousands of years - was realised, as well as the value of their grazing habits. Grazing allows more flowers to flourish than mowing and there was a reported loss of some insect species and a decline in others, including butterflies.

Epping Forest was the first open space in the world to use invisible fencing - the buried wire that sends a warning signal to the collars the cattle are wearing - since its introduction in 2011. However, those who have lived near the forest for many years will remember the days before the invisible fencing when cattle would take themselves for a walk around the nearby towns and villages.

It was a common sight to see cows wandering up the road and munching on flowers in peoples front gardens.

Reference: Daily Mail: Clare Mccarthy For Mailonline 3 days ago: 17/09/2020