ABSTRACT
Presence of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in south-central North America dates to the early exploratory and colonization period by Europeans in North America during the 1600s. Free-ranging pigs served as a consistent protein source to early settlers, and eventually became a common form of livestock production. Since that time, wild pigs transitioned from free-range livestock with protected ownership to an invasive species with no claimed ownership, often unwanted because of associated ecological and economic damages. Currently within the South-Central region this highly adaptable species flourishes in a wide range of environments. Because of their adaptability, coupled with management aimed at increasing populations for several decades since the 1930s, wild pigs are now widespread throughout the South-Central region, which today represents one of the largest regional concentrations of these animals in North America.
