Sus scrofa

The Zero Population Growth (ZPG) Program was designed by request for the Mid-Peninsula Open Space Agency (MPOSA) to present an alternate (non-lethal) program to help control the feral pig population in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. The MPOSA had in place a three-year trap and shoot program to maintain the total number of pigs at an "acceptable" level.

Research shows that at least 80 percent of the wild pig population must be cropped annually to result in a reduced population the following year. Therefore, it would be a waste of time and money trying to eliminate or even substantially reduce pig damage by the extensive killing of pigs. 

A host of factors in wild pig biology make their elimination simply a pipe dream.  Therefore, local pig control, not elimination, is the only reasonable alternative.  This implies that the agency pursuing the control of feral pigs must decide what is an acceptable amount of pig impact, where on their lands the impact will be tolerated, and to recognize that all impact cannot, categorically, be considered damage.

It is true that destroying pigs that are damaging particular sites would remove some of the offending animals. However, the remaining animals would compensate for this drop in population by having larger litters. Sooner or later other pigs would move into the resulting vacuum at the sites, causing additional damage, and requiring more killing.

Using a lethal solution this cycle of killing and re-population would be repeated indefinitely. Additionally, pigs would disperse to avoid areas where they had been previously trapped, spreading damage into areas where there had been none.

The Zero Population Growth (ZPG) sterilization program offers long-term results. The primary advantage of the ZPG program is that the population dynamic of feral pigs remain constant in an area, eliminating the stimuli for compensatory birthing, immigration and emigration. After the intensive trap and sterilize program is concluded, (duration 2-3 years), it would then become a maintenance program targeted at new animals that may trickle into the area to replace the older sterilized population as it begins to die off.

The ZPG program encourages cooperative efforts with bordering landowners, so as not to be working at cross purposes. The Program also provides proactive conflict resolution strategies to mitigate for pig damage that may be incurred by the altered population in biologically sensitive areas.

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Yes!, I support Little Blue Society's Zero Population Growth Program for intelligently managing feral pig populations. I would like to see this program expanded into other communities, where the lethal management programs are still being used. I am ready to  Join and Donate