OUTDOOR NATION – GRIZZLY & HOG LINK – September 2019

CASEY ANDERSON IS A WORLD-RENOWNED grizzly bear expert. He has done it all in wildlife exploration and filmmaking.

Anderson is the host of Expedition Wild and Expedition Grizzly along with many other programs. He is a passionate naturalist with a heart for introducing the public to wildlife and wildland via media outlets.

Recently I had the pleasure of having Anderson in the studio on my program Moore Outdoors on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI. You can listen to that program below as we talk about the similarities between the habits of bears and feral hogs.

I have hypothesized that feral hogs will take root in urban green belts and suburban sprawl. I also predict they will grow large.

During our exchange in the program, Anderson made an interesting observation that grizzlies in Montana, brown bears in Alaska and the bears on Kodiak Island are the same animal.

The difference?—Diet.

Could hogs found in urban areas grow to epic proportions with no hunting pressure, plenty of food, and the potential to reach their maximum age?

The grizzlies in Montana weigh around 600 pounds; the bears in mainland Alaska can be up to 1,000. There have been 1,500-pound bears on Kodiak.

Think about that and apply it to hogs.

On several occasions I have seen with my own eyes—and verified through game cameras—extra-large hogs in Texas cities. The same thing is happening in Florida where pigs exist in virtually every city in the state.

How will this change the landscape of urban greenbelts and woodlots? Will the presence of more massive hogs increase the danger to humans?

In a 2017 article called “Profile Of A Killer Hog,” we revealed an exhaustive study that shows the most dangerous hogs are large, lone boars. They are responsible for more than 80 percent of attacks on humans. Will urban areas create more of these kinds of hogs?

With limited space in certain zones, will these larger hogs set up a territory and be more aggressive about protecting it than they would in the wilderness?

It’s an interesting idea. It was an honor spending time with Anderson in the studio and talking about our mutual passion for wildlife.

Born and raised in East Helena, Montana, Anderson is a fifth-generation Montanan. He has worked in film and television production for more than a decade. His acting resume includes the television series Wild Wacky World, a role in the feature film, Iron Ridge, and National Geographic’s Expedition Wild.

 

—story by CHESTER MOORE

 

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