While most states have laws that prohibit relocating wild pigs, the practice still happens, and is one of the main factors contributing to the recent increase in pig numbers across the United States. “That’s why we did the study. All these pigs are being moved around and we really have no idea what’s happening with them,” said James Beasley, senior author of a new study.
Researchers made the study at the Savannah River Site outside Aiken, South Carolina. Because the area covers more than 310 square miles, Beasley said the researchers could move pigs to new locations within the area and still feel confident they were in an unfamiliar place. South Carolina law prohibits moving wild pigs unless they remain in the same area.
After catching a pig and fitting it with a GPS tracker, the researchers moved it to another location, usually at least 10 miles away, and tracked its movements over several months. The trackers showed the pigs were able to cover a lot of ground within a short time. Over a seven-day period, on average, the wild pigs would make sweeping paths across the landscape, seldom returning to their original drop-off point and often finally ending up several miles away.
The researchers also found that not long after being released, the wild pigs hooked up with other pigs in the area—sometimes joining an existing social group of pigs and other times creating new groups of relocated individuals.
In one example, two pigs from the same group were released more than a mile apart. “They started moving in different directions. Then, one seemed to cross the path of the other one and found that pig,” Beasley said. “They have this really extraordinary social bond.” More study is needed to understand how these social bonds form, but it’s clear that wild pigs are willing to accept unrelated individuals within their social group.
Infamous for the damage they cause to crops and landscapes, the research shows the potential for problems when wild pigs are relocated and the potential risks of them spreading diseases such as African swine fever when they are moved around the landscape. Beasley said, “This type of information is important to developing management plans for responding to new introductions of pig populations.”
【小题1】Why did the researchers carry out the study on wild pigs?A.To study their sudden population increase. | B.To improve their survival after relocations. |
C.To manage their daily activities. | D.To understand their movement behavior. |
A.They came back to their familiar places. | B.They explored the new area a lot. |
C.They stayed near their release locations. | D.They moved in the same direction. |
A.They were very lonely. | B.They were very curious. |
C.They were very sociable. | D.They were very competitive. |
A.Concerned. | B.Indifferent. | C.Uncertain. | D.Supportive. |