Human Health and Safety. More than one hunter has been treed by aggressive sows who sense that their piglets are in danger. People are also at risk from these animals that are infected with swine brucellosis. This disease has been found in wild pigs in ten states and is known as undulant fever in humans. It can be contracted through handling infected tissues of wild pigs.
Feral hogs do a substantial amount of rooting and wallowing.
In so doing, they cause thousands of dollars of damage to row and forage crops, vineyards, archeological sites, and forest land, and contribute to soil erosion and stream siltation. When many hogs are present, they can root up large acreages and consume substantial amounts of grain and forage. In addition to the ramifications of swine brucellosis to human health mentioned above, this disease causes abortions in sows and infertility in boars. Although the disease does not kill the infected animal, it causes lost reproduction and reduces profits in commercial hog operations and can be transmitted to other species including cattle. Pseudorabies is another disease that infects wild swine and can be transmitted to hogs in commercial operations.