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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Southwest Farm Press stated on January 22, 2018 in a news story: \"Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state — an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of all feral swine in the nation.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Agriculture * Animals * Population * Texas * Southwest Farm Press ![\\"Feral](\\" Feral hogs run through a farm in Atascosa County, Thursday, June 23, 2011. Joseph Meyers, of Flying J Services, is hired by farmers to eliminate the feral hog population and hunts them from his helicopter (Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News). By W. Gardner Selby February 1, 2018 # Texas ranks No. 1 in feral hogs. It\'s not home to 75 percent of nation\'s wild pigs. Texas happens to be home to most of the nation’s feral pigs, according to a publication focused on farmers and ranchers in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Southwest Farm Press declared in a January 2018 news story that while 39 states have reported wild pig problems, \"Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state — an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of all feral swine in the nation.\" Really all of that for Texas by its lonesome? We wondered. Texas No. 1 in feral hogs? From our previous feral-hog investigations, we already suspected that Texas, with its vast open spaces and habitat-friendly Gulf Coast, was home to more of the pesky animals than any other state. Our attempts to verify that part of the publication’s claim led us to a South Carolina expert, Jack Mayer, Ph.D., who responded by emailing us his 2014 paper finding Texas to be home to the most wild hogs. According to the paper, 99 percent of U.S. wild pigs live in 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. \"As an individual state, Texas had the largest numbers,\" the paper says, accounting for 30 percent (1.8 million) up to 41 percent (3.4 million) of the nation’s total depending on which estimates are chosen. States with the next-most feral hogs, the paper suggests, were Georgia and Florida. Then again, there’s at least one other way to judge population differences. In that vein, we adjusted the average estimate of feral hogs in each of the 10 high-hog states for the state’s 2014 human population. By this metric, Oklahoma led with nearly 13 hogs per 100 residents with Texas landing fifth with a little under 10 hogs per 100 residents. Up to three in four feral hogs live in Texas? We separately asked Southwest Farm Press the basis of its finding that Texas was home to \"50 percent to 75 percent\" of U.S. feral hogs. By email, Eric Braun responded with an explanation attributed to the story’s author, Logan Hawkes. \"Fair question, tough topic,\" Hawkes wrote, adding that every count offered of feral hogs is an estimate. Hawkes specified that he reached his finding that 50 percent to 75 percent of U.S. feral hogs reside in Texas drawing on information from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. Hawkes said that \"if the U.S. population is estimated as much as 6 million feral swine (USDA-APHIS), and the Texas population is as much as an estimated 4 million feral swine (Texas Agrilife), then I believe my percentage would be on target. If we take the lower estimated figures instead of the highest, then that percentage would, of course, be less. Again, the range is wide and all numbers are estimated. I should have pointed that out in retrospect.\" Braun pointed out that Gail Keirn of the APHIS National Wildlife Research Center was quoted in February 2017 saying that there are likely between 5 million and 6 million invasive wild pigs in at least 35 states. More recently, Braun noted, the inspection service has said the national count exceeds 6 million. Per feral pigs in Texas, Braun pointed out that Texas Agrilife said in a 2012 report that Texas was home to 1 million to 4 million feral hogs. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Rick Scott stated on August 28, 2024 in a post on X “This month alone, more than 16,000 non-citizens have been removed from the voter rolls in 3 states.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • August 29, 2024 Counting Texas feral hogs But that 2012 report, we found, presents the described estimate of 1 million to 4 million feral hogs in Texas (in the past tense) before declaring a lower estimate. The report initially states: \"Often, the number of feral hogs are reported from 1 to 4 million in Texas. These estimates are not based on scientific studies.\" But the authors subsequently describe their efforts to gauge feral hog concentrations in different parts of Texas and to adjust for suitable hog habitats before reaching their own estimate. \"By multiplying the density estimate to the total potential suitable feral hog habitat,\" the report says, \"we estimated the number of feral hogs statewide to be between 1.8 and 3.4 million, with the average being 2.6 million.\" We also connected with the USDA’s Keirn, who agreed by email that Texas has one of the country’s largest \"feral swine populations.\" Yet Keirn said the state’s share of U.S. feral hogs probably runs closer to 30 percent to 50 percent. Nationally, Keirn told us, the feral hog population is \"currently estimated at over 6 million and is rapidly expanding. Range expansion over the last few decades is due to a variety of factors including their adaptability to a variety of climates and conditions, translocation by humans and a lack of natural predators.\" Keirn similarly noted the 2012 Texas report suggesting an average of 2.6 million feral hogs statewide while she said that the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department estimates there are more than 1.5 million feral swine in the state. \"The accurate estimation of wildlife populations is difficult and requires considerable investment of resources and time,\" Keirn wrote. When we reached out to TPWD about its hog estimate, Steve Lightfoot responded by emailing us a September 2017 document presenting 42 feral hog questions and answers written by a Texas A&M professor emeritus, Billy Higginbotham. The document says there are no U.S. estimates of the feral hog population based on scientific data but guesstimates suggest a national population of 8 million to 9 million. In Texas, the document says, \"we estimate 2.6 million head based on several population studies.\" Another Higginbotham answer says a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension survey of landowners made in 2010 \"estimated that we are removing approximately 761,000 pigs from our 2.6 million population annually, which accounts for only 29% of the population. We estimate that in Texas we need to be removing 66% of the wild pigs annually just to hold the population steady.\" We asked Higginbotham about the accuracy of the Southwest Farm Press claim. By email, he replied that it’s most likely that feral hogs in Texas comprise 20 percent to no more than 33 percent of the U.S. population. Mayer, the South Carolina expert, later advised by phone that he’s part of a research team drawing on improved hog-density research to devise fresh counts. As of 1982, Mayer said, a little more than half the nation’s feral hogs resided in Texas. Mayer said the team’s yet-to-be completed paper will say that in 2016, some 2.5 million Texas feral hogs accounted for nearly 37 percent of 6.9 million U.S. feral hogs. Texas’s reduced share, Mayer said, can be attributed to hog populations surging elsewhere. We shared some of what we’d gleaned about U.S. feral hogs in Texas with Southwest Farm Press. By email, Braun replied that its story would be corrected. The story was shortly amended to say: \"Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state — an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of all feral swine in the nation, according to USDA.\" Our ruling The publication said: \"Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state — an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of all feral swine in the nation.\" Texas remains home to the most feral hogs, we confirmed, though several states topped by Oklahoma lately have more hogs per 100 residents. It looks otherwise like Texas accounts for about one third of the nation’s feral swine-- considerably short of 50 percent to 75 percent. We rate this since-modified claim Half True. **HALF TRUE** – The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check. Share the Facts 2018-02-01 21:36:45 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) 4 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" halftrue.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: Half True \"Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state — an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of all feral swine in the nation.\" Southwest Farm Press Farm publication provide-control-wild-hog-problem-texas-and-other-states ![](\\" Texas Monday, January 22, 2018 2018-01-22 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources News story, \"New research of toxic bait might provide control of wild hog problem in Texas and other states,\" Southwest Farm Press, Jan. 22, 2018 Emails, Eric Braun, senior director, User Engagement, Farm Progress, Jan. 25 and 31, 2018 Emails, Gail Keirn, public affairs specialist, Legislative and Public Affairs, USDA-APHIS-WS National Wildlife Research Center, Jan. 26, 2018 Email, Steve Lightfoot, press office manager, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Jan. 26, 2018 Document, \"Frequently Asked Questions-Wild Pigs,\" Billy Higginbotham, Regents Fellow, professor emeritus, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, September 2017 (received by email from Steve Lightfoot, Jan. 26, 2018) Email, Billy Higginbotham, professor emeritus, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, Jan. 29, 2018 Research paper, \"Estimation of the Number of Wild Pigs Found in the United States,\" J.J. Mayer, PhD, Savannah River National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, August 2014 (received by email from Mayer, Feb. 1, 2018) Phone interview, John J. \"Jack\" Mayer, research scientist, Savannah River National Laboratory, Feb. 1, 2018 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by W. Gardner Selby slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" M.J. Hegar stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable\'s \"Capital Tonight\": Says U.S. Rep. John Carter \"hasn’t held a town hall in five years.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • August 29, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender: Says \"black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • August 23, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Silvestre Reyes stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad: Says Beto O’Rourke \"has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • August 22, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ken Paxton stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad: Says Ken Paxton \"shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • November 1, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston: Says Beto O’Rourke \"voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • October 25, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio: Says \"only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years\" has \"a worse record on bipartisanship\" than Ted Cruz. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • October 18, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Alexander Strenger stated on October 1, 2018 in response cited in an interactive voter guide: Says 60 percent of Austin’s \"waterways are found to be contaminated with fecal matter and deemed unsafe to swim.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • October 16, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on September 29, 2018 in an Austin rally: Says that in Texas, \"you can be too gay to adopt\" a foster child \"who needs a loving home.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • October 4, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ted Cruz stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University: Says Beto O’Rourke described police as \"modern-day Jim Crow.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • September 25, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University: Says he \"did not try to leave the scene of the accident\" that led to his arrest for driving while intoxicated. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • September 25, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Texans Are stated on September 12, 2018 in a TV ad: Says Beto O’Rourke voted \"against body armor for Texas sheriffs patrolling the border.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • September 13, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ken Paxton stated on August 26, 2018 in an interview on Fox & Friends: Says Texas has \"had over 600,000 crimes committed by illegals since 2011. Over 1,200 homicides.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • September 7, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Greg Abbott stated on August 30, 2018 in a TV ad: Says Texas \"high school graduation rates are at all-time highs.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • September 7, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ted Cruz stated on September 4, 2018 in a video: Says Beto O’Rourke said he’s grateful that people are burning or desecrating the American flag. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • September 5, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ted Cruz stated on August 28, 2018 in an online video ad: Says Beto O’Rourke \"voted against\" Hurricane Harvey \"tax relief.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • August 29, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" M.J. Hegar stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable\'s \"Capital Tonight\": Says U.S. Rep. John Carter \"hasn’t held a town hall in five years.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • August 29, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender: Says \"black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • August 23, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Silvestre Reyes stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad: Says Beto O’Rourke \"has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • August 22, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ken Paxton stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad: Says Ken Paxton \"shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • November 1, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston: Says Beto O’Rourke \"voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By W. Gardner Selby • October 25, 2018 ![](\\" ![](\\" Beto O\'Rourke stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio: Says \"only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years\" has \"a worse record on bipartisanship\" than Ted Cruz. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By W. Gardner Selby • October 18, 2018 ### Texas ranks No. 1 in feral hogs. It\'s not home to 75 percent of nation\'s wild pigs. * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a post: Vice President Kamala Harris’ college professors disparaged her as their “worst student.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a post: Photo shows Kamala Harris posing beside Sean “Diddy” Combs. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 18, 2024 in Instagram posts: “BREAKING: Police found ‘explosives’ in car near former President Donald Trump’s rally site on Long Island.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Dave McCormick stated on September 13, 2024 in an X post: Charleroi, Pennsylvania, “has grown by 2,000% due to an influx in migrants.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: \"El gran respaldo de Taylor Swift\" a Kamala Harris \"le cuesta $125 millones en acuerdos de marca\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in an Instagram post: Taylor Swift “lost 17 million followers by endorsing Kamala.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on September 13, 2024 in a post on X: Rep. Ruben Gallego’s “first act in Congress was to propose legislation to BAN the use of the term ‘illegal alien.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Mia Osmonbekov • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sherrod Brown stated on September 4, 2024 in a TV interview: Of Bernie Moreno, “Now, he’s arguing for a national abortion ban, no exceptions.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! 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Texas is home to more feral pigs than any other state an estimated 50 percent to 75 percent of all feral swine in the nation