Abstract
ABSTRACT Feral swine (Sus scrofa) impact resources through their destructive feeding behavior, competition with native wildlife, and impacts to domestic animal agriculture. We studied aerial gunning on feral swine to determine if aerial gunning altered home range and core area sizes, distances between home range centroids, and distances moved by surviving individuals. We collected data before, during, and after aerial gunning in southern Texas. Using Global Positioning System collars deployed on 25 adult feral swine at 2 study sites, we found home range and core area sizes did not differ before and after aerial gunning. However, feral swine moved at a greater rate during the aerial gunning phase than during the before and after periods. We concluded that aerial gunning had only minor effects on the behavior of surviving swine and that this removal method should be considered a viable tool in contingency planning for a foreign animal disease outbreak.
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