Wild pigs, wild costs: the economic consequences of wild pig invasions in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), an invasive species in the United States, cause extensive ecological and economic harm, impacting agriculture, forests, ecosystems, water quality, property, and human health and safety. Despite the substantial economic impacts, existing nationwide monetary assessments of wild pig damage are outdated and lack modern scientific rigor.

Results

By synthesizing data from scientific journals, this study inventories the scope of wild pig damage, highlights gaps in our understanding of the associated costs, and introduces a novel composite approach to visualizing them. Additionally, it provides an updated conservative estimate of the economic costs associated with wild pig damage in the U.S. by combining known costs with reasonable extrapolations.

SUBMITTER: McKee SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713719 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature