Wild pigs are among the most successful and widespread large mammals globally, but face welfare challenges from hunting, habitat loss and human conflict in many regions.
Wild pigs globally face welfare challenges at the intersection of their ecological success and human conflict. Their reproductive capacity and behavioral flexibility has made them successful colonizers of new environments, but their success in non-native ranges creates conflict with wildlife, agriculture and ecosystems that results in large-scale lethal control programs. The welfare of wild pigs killed in feral pig control programs — shooting, trapping, toxin baiting — deserves consideration that control programs rarely provide. African swine fever causes severe welfare harm in affected wild populations and triggers welfare-impactful mass culling responses. Wild pig welfare requires acknowledging these animals' complexity while addressing legitimate conflict concerns humanely.