ABSTRACT
The regional history and presence of wild pigs in western North America collectively reflects the entire range of diversity observed in their occurrence throughout the rest of the continent. Largely centered in California, wild pigs in western North America have collectively had a long history dating back to at least the late 1500s. In July of 1984, 6 female and 2 male wild pigs, purchased in California, were released onto Marmot Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Reportedly of “European wild boar” ancestry, these animals were stocked by a private citizen, pursuant to a state grazing lease that he had been granted for 1 year. From the late 1880s to present, a population of wild pigs has been reported to exist along the Colorado River bordering Arizona and California below the city of Needles, California south to the Mexican border. Wild pigs were recently found in 3 locations within Nevada.
