EXTIRPATION OF A RECENTLY ESTABLISHED FERAL PIG POPULATION IN KANSAS

Most feral pigs (Sus scmfa are descendants of domestic swine that have gone wild and their reproduction is uncontrolled by man. A few populations may be descendants of European wild boar or crosses between wild boar and domestic swine. Disease control officials report that 23 states have established populations of feral pigs and the total feral pig population in the United States is probably in excess of 2 million animals. A population of feral pigs was documented in the fall of 1993 on the Fort Riley Military Installation in northeastern Kansas. Biologists from the Fort Riley Natural Resources Division and the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit assessed the situation and recommended that the pig population be eradicated because of the potential for disease, crop damage, erosion, competition for food with native wildlife and depredation on native wildlife. The goal of this management plan is to eradicate feral pigs on Fort Riley. We have integrated a variety of control techniques emphasizing the use of cage traps, snares, and possibly radio telemetry and aerial hunting. Proc. East. Wildl. Damage My-mt. Conf. 7:100-103. 1997 1980, Singer et al. 1981, 1984; Barrett 1982, Baber and Coblentz 1986, Katahira 1993). The Kansas State Director for the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control, joined the study team at the end of the 1994 1995 field season and will assume management responsibilities for feral pigs on Fort Riley in November 1995. Feral pigs are primarily from domestic stock that have gone wild and their reproduction is uncontrolled by man. Disease control officials report that 23 states have established populations of feral pigs and that the total feral pig population in the U. S. is probably in excess of two million animals (Miller 1993). In the Great Plains Region, Kansas (Gipson et al. 1994), Texas (Taylor 1993), and Oklahoma (Wagner 1995) have established populations of feral pigs. Biologists with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Conservation believe feral pig populations are expanding west and north toward Kansas (Wagner 1995). A population of feral pigs was documented in the fall of 1993 on the Fort Riley Military Installation in northeastern Kansas (Gipson et al. 1994). A team of biologists from the Fort Riley Natural Resources Division and die Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit assessed the situation and recommended that the pig population be eradicated because of potential for disease, crop damage, erosion, competition for food with native wildlife, and depredation on native wildlife (Henry 1969, Kurz and Marchinton 1972, Wood et al. 1976, 1979, 1980; Everitt and Alaniz STUDY AREA Fort Riley is a 44,500 ha military installation located in the north central flint hills region of Kansas. The rolling flint hills are comprised of limestone and chert, and because of the rocky soil, were not plowed and converted to cropland. he native vegetation of the flint hills has remained largely intact and the region is one of the largest tallgrass prairies remaining in the world. The dominant grasses include big bluestem (Andropogon , little blue stem (Andropogon so ar-us , Indian grass (Sor astrwn nutanJ, and switch grass anicum ca illare . The drainages in the flint hills support woody vegetation ranging