Invasive species are those that are introduced into an ecosystem that is not their own as a result of humans (in almost all cases) and can proliferate on a large scale, since it does not have the limitations or predators that it has in its native habitat .
Most invasive species travel from one part of the world to another by transport with humans due to errors. Once in the new ecosystem, they can reproduce and expand their range, displacing native species. Today we are going to talk about the «piglet». It is a cross between a Vietnamese pig and a wild boar, which has become a major environmental problem in autonomous communities such as Valencia, Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla y León or Aragon. What's up with this piglet?
Cross between pig and wild boar
The pig has been detected in areas of Navarra such as Urraul Alto, Tierra Estella, the Esteribar Valley or even in the vicinity of Pamplona. Why has this crossover occurred? Well again we mention the human being. Sales of Vietnamese pigs skyrocketed when actor George Clooney posed for the media with his mascot "Max." Other Hollywood actors followed suit and the Vietnamese pig became the fashionable mascot around the world.
Many people imitate celebrities and do not realize that being original in this life is much better than imitating others. Well, imitating celebrities, they adopted Vietnamese pigs as pets. The problem with this pig is that when it is a baby it only weighs 3 kilos, but that quickly reaches 80 kilos. This makes having it in a flat impossible.
For this reason many pigs end up abandoned in the mount, not complying with environmental regulations and causing the invasion of this species in territories that are not theirs.
Pig appearance
Pigs are described by hunters as grotesque-looking hybrids. They are smaller than wild boars - which weigh up to 100 kilos - and have very long legs. Some have long hair, which is dark in color, while others lack fur. Some have a very long and thin snout and others are flat.
These have arisen from the crossing of Vietnamese pigs with wild boars, so it is a hybrid species. They have larger and more frequent litters than wild boars and eat in greater numbers. This causes serious damage to wild flora and fauna and to cultivated fields.
Another characteristic of these hybrids is that they have lost their "savagery". That is, they do not flee from people or attack them, since most were born and raised alongside humans. For this reason, they are easily killed by hunters and run over on roads, as the number is growing in an exacerbated way.
The Department of the Environment of the Government of Navarra is aware of this problem and is considering the possibility of allowing hunters to kill hybrids next season, a practice that has already been authorized in places such as the Valencian Community.
The role of hunters
To prevent the continued uncontrolled growth of pigs, hunters have been asked to include themselves in the closed order. The function of the hunters is not to kill these animals in a crazy way, but they can collaborate with the nursery and eliminate the specimens that are sporadically found in the forest.
The hunters are trying by all means that the problem does not go to more and the correct functioning of the environmental regulations on invasive species is controlled.
Other exotic species such as beavers, raccoons, American minks, galapagos, parrots, snakes, Chinese carp or American crabs can assume “a significant reduction in indigenous populations”, Which end up losing their ecological niche to the pressure of these invasive specimens.
This is what happens when people release domestic animals into the fields.