Stakeholder attitudes and beliefs toward wild pigs in Georgia and Illinois

Abstract

A variety of problems are associated with wild pigs (Sus scrofa; e.g., crop damage, habitat destruction, transfer of infectious diseases to livestock). We contrasted stakeholder attitudes and beliefs toward wild pigs in 2 U.S. states: 1 with a long-established, widespread population of wild pigs (GA) and 1 with a recently established limited population (IL). We conducted mail surveys of farmers in the Southwest Cooperative Extension Service District in Georgia during January–February 2012 (n = 471, response rate = 39%) and Illinois farmers (n = 3,035, response rate = 58%) during July–September 2013. The surveys included 4 positive items (e.g., I enjoy seeing feral hogs around my property) and 3 negative statements (e.g., Feral hogs should be eliminated where ever possible). Survey participants in both states generally agreed with the negative statements about wild pigs and disagreed with positive aspects regarding wild pigs. In general, the level of consensus for these statements was similar for both states. These findings suggest farmers in a state with low populations of wild pigs (IL) shared beliefs and attitudes with farmers in a state with a long-standing wild pig populations (GA). © 2016 The Wildlife Society.