Although there are no known populations of wild pigs in Linn County, their destructive potential worries staff from both the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

In some states, including neighboring California, wild or feral pigs are out of control. There, even intensive hunting hasn't culled pig numbers significantly to the dismay of agricultural landowners. In Oregon there are pockets of wild pigs, ranging from north central Oregon to central Oregon and along the southwest corner of the state, from Roseburg to the California border.

Undomesticated pigs can grow to more than 400 pounds and reproduce every four to nine months. Mature females can have two litters of six piglets per year. They are omnivores and can and will eat almost anything nn from grapevines to row crops, even baby lambs.

"When they go through an area, they beat it up like a rototiller," explained Jim Gores, the invasive species and wildlife integrity coordinator at the ODFW in Salem. "It's their rooting action that causes the most problems. If they were to take hold in the valley, they would cause a lot of damage for our grass seed and nursery stock growers."

They can carry diseases that can be transferred to domestic pigs including swine brucellosis, pseudorabies or swine fever. They can also carry deadly E coli bacteria. Feral pigs are believed to have caused an outbreak of E coli in California lettuce fields in 2006.

Gores said there are reports coming out of Texas that wild pigs are "as bad as coyotes when it comes to predation of lambs. They will sit and wait for a lamb to drop."

Gores said at this time, wild pigs are most prevalent between Roseburg and the California border, especially in the Pistol River area. Today's wild pig population in Oregon is estimated to be that of California in the 1950s. Now, in California, there are an estimated 130,000 wild pigs, identified in nearly every county.

Wild pigs are often transported into new areas of the state because people want to introduce them as game for hunting, Gores said. Others suffer because of that misguided decision.

"The solution is to hunt the heck out of them," Gores said. "We don't have money in the budget for other control measures."

State veterinarian Dr. Don Hansen of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, says now is the time to eradicate wild pigs in Oregon.

"A few decades ago, California did not eradicate when they had a chance and now they have feral pigs all over the state," Hansen said. "We don't need that kind of risk in Oregon. If we can stop it now, we should."

In 2007, Portland State University's Center for Lakes and Reservoirs developed a feral swine action plan for the state. The number one goal is eradication through hunting or the use of traps. In Central Oregon, 12 pigs were trapped in just three weeks on one piece of private property.

A working group has been formed to deal with the feral swine issue. Representatives are from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services, the U.S. Forest Service, soil and water conservation districts, and private industry.

In Wasco County, there has been experimention with targeted shooting of feral swine from aircraft.

"Any effort to eradicate an animal that is fairly nomadic and adaptable requires patience, and a huge amount of communication and support from private ranchers and landowners," said Justin Stevenson, Oregon Wildlife Disease Biologist with the USDA Wildlife Services.

Report any sightings of wild pigs by calling 1-866-INVADER (468-2337).