ABSTRACT
Since domesticated roughly 9,000 years ago (Epstein and Bichard 1984; see Chapter 2), pigs (Sus scrofa) have had a close economic and cultural relationship with humans. As a result, pigs have accompanied humans throughout history as they have expanded into new areas. Pigs were considered such a valuable food resource that Polynesians transported them in long canoes across the Pacific Ocean (Mayer and Brisbin 2008), and pigs were among the most common domestic livestock in European explorations and colonies in continental North America (Towne and Wentworth 1950). Traditional pig husbandry practices allowed pigs to free range with periodic roundups for slaughter, resulting in the establishment of local wild populations (Mayer and Brisbin 2008, Mayer and Beasley 2017). In some areas of North America, these populations have survived into modern times (Figure 6.1) and have been present on the landscape for several hundred years. An argument could be made that pigs in these long-term populations have become a naturalized part of the ecosystem and culture. Map of wild pig populations in the United States as of 1988 created by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. Wild pig populations documented here represent some of the oldest and most established populations in North America including southern Texas and Florida, California, and Hawaii. Other populations throughout the Southeast are smaller and more isolated and many are concentrated along riverine corridors and in protected areas (e.g., Great Smoky Mountain National Park). https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-u.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315233055/4da4ee64-2bae-4381-9f37-c35d3db8697a/content/fig6_1_C.tif"/>
