ABSTRACT
Wild pigs are native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa; feral pigs or wild boar introductions occur on every continent and on numerous islands throughout the world. The optimum census method for wild pigs will depend on the habitat more than the type of pig. Wild pigs are difficult to count because of their wide ranging movements related to their omnivorous and often rapidly changing food habits, their preference for dense forest or marsh vegetation, and their generally low density and highly aggregated distribution pattern. Few actual censuses have been successfully made of wild pigs over large areas. Where elimination of pigs as pests is an objective, the removal method, by hunting with dogs or helicopters or by trapping, has been successful on somewhat larger areas. The mark-recapture method is useful and probably the most accurate method where live trapping is feasible.
