Nope I don't live on "old sayings" but I do put some stock in what the various DEC units, Cornell U and what my veterinary friend tell me.
How many times have you seen the term "feral" in serious articles ? Whenever an animal specialist says feral hog he/she means a former domestic hog. Otherwise he/she would simply refer to the animal as a "wild" hog..
Of course, ALL hogs were at one time wild..just as corn, tomatoes and rutabaga were all weeds at one time or another.
Your debate seems to hinge upon how long the reversion back to wild takes place..
Here is a statement by the State of NY Department of environmental Conservation which explains that the dangerous and destructive swine can be made up of imported wild stock, domestic stock gone wild or a combination.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/70843.html A statement from Cornell U.;
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Press Connects article 4/18/2011 New York wildlife officials are scrambling to confront an invasion before it becomes an environmental disaster in the Southern Tier and elsewhere.
Feral hogs, abundant for years in many Southern states, are slowly creeping into New York, and they are not a welcome addition.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates the wild pigs are breeding in three New York counties -- Tioga, Cortland and Onondaga.
"In the absence of aggressive professional management, these populations will likely continue their expansion and become entrenched in New York state -- with potentially devastating consequences to natural resources, agriculture and human health and safety," the report concluded.
An aggressive invader
Feral hogs are domestic hogs gone wild. *Some of the wild pigs turning up in New York have migrated from the South, and others are European or Russian boars that escaped from shooting preserves or breeding facilities, said Paul Curtis, a Cornell University professor and Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist.
The hogs, which started appearing in New York about five years ago, are prolific breeders with very few natural enemies, and they can quickly overwhelm local ecosystems, Curtis said.
"If hogs are left unchecked, they can cause tremendous damage to agricultural crops," he said. "They can also cause environmental damage. Wildlife can be impacted by hogs. According to a recent report, feral hogs cause damage nationwide of $2 billion or more (annually). We don't need that problem in New York right now."
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Unless you know more than they (backed by Cornell U.) do..you're just spitting into the wind..
