Alarming link between feral pigs and vampire bats

Date: February 1, 2017

Source: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

The number of vampire bats, which transmit rabies and are a concern for livestock breeders, may be increasing in Brazil and the Americas along with growth in the populations of invasive feral pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa).

A group of researchers has recently reported an alarming rise in the numbers and distribution of S. scrofa, as well as showing that the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is now feeding on the blood of these animals.

Results of this study have been published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment by Mauro Galetti, a professor at São Paulo State University's Bioscience Institute in Rio Claro, Brazil (IB-UNESP/RC), his PhD supervisee Felipe Pedrosa, Alexine Keuroghlian, a biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS Brazil), and Ivan Sazima, a collaborating professor at the University of Campinas's Zoology Museum (MZ-UNICAMP) in São Paulo State.

As numbers of invasive feral pigs increase, so does the damage to crops and native fauna, among other problems. S. scrofa is also a growing source of blood for vampire bats, so the population of D. rotundus is also likely to increase.

Only three of the approximately 1,200 known bat species feed exclusively on blood, and all three are found only in the Americas. D. rotundus is the most widely distributed, inhabiting a territory that ranges from Mexico to Argentina. This species feeds mostly on livestock and poultry, but it has also been documented to prey on mammals such as tapirs and deer.

In Brazil's Atlantic Forest biome, about 1.4% of vampire bats are infected with rabies. The proportion may be as high as 10% in the Peruvian Amazon. Transmission of rabies by vampire bats is a major concern for ranchers in Brazil, even in areas where cattle are routinely vaccinated. Wild animals, including feral pigs, are not vaccinated and may therefore pose a serious threat by spreading this disease.

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'Judas' animals - Traitors to their own kind: Radio tracking Judas pigs and pythons to help control invasive species

A Tale of Two Traitors
April 2013. A radio-tagged female Burmese python in the Everglades leads USGS researchers to male pythons, and a radio-tagged feral pig lets USGS scientists know just how destructive to native wildlife and vegetation her kind is. These and other so-called "Judas" animals are unknowingly traitors to their own kind in USGS research that sheds light on the movement and habits of important non-native species.
Dinner on the hoof
Feral pigs, first introduced to the continental United States in the 1500s by Spanish conquistadors who brought the animals over as food, typically weigh in at a hefty 200 pounds but can reach as much as 400 pounds. These feral pigs have tusks up to three inches long - which they aren't afraid to use. They are territorial and live in groups called sounders of as many as 20 individuals, mostly females and young pigs of both sexes.

Have you seen the not-so little piggies?
Males are solitary and only interact with sows to breed. Even though these animals have been in the United States for centuries, little is known about their populations, habitat use and movement patterns, or the habitat destruction their burgeoning numbers are causing in Louisiana and Mississippi. Consequently, USGS researchers have captured, collared and then released large boars and sows to return to their sounder or to their solitary ways if a male.

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/judas-species.html

Feral Pigs Can Carry Nasty Bacteria That Can Be Transmitted to People

ScienceDaily (Apr. 11, 2012) — A North Carolina State University study shows that, for the first time since testing began several years ago, feral pigs in North Carolina have tested positive for Brucella suis, an important and harmful bacteria that can be transmitted to people.

The bacteria are transmitted to humans by unsafe butchering and consumption of undercooked meat. Clinical signs of brucellosis, the disease caused by the bacteria, in people are fairly non-specific and include persistent flu-like symptoms. The bacteria can also spread in pig populations, causing abortions in affected swine.

In a study conducted to test N.C. feral pig populations for several types of bacteria and viruses, about 9 percent of feral pigs studied in Johnston County and less than 1 percent of feral pigs surveyed randomly at 13 other sites across the state showed exposure to B. suis.

Dr. Chris DePerno, associate professor of forestry and environmental resources at NC State and the corresponding author of a paper describing the research, says the results are troubling for people who hunt feral pigs for sport or food.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411131913.htm