Feral Pigs in the Western Cape Province: Failure of a Potentially Invasive Species

SYNOPSIS The status of feral pig (Sus scrofa) colonies in the western Cape Province of South Africa was ascertained from the literature and from unpublished records. Of 12 colonies established during the last century, only six are extant. The populations of two of the extant colonies have decreased during the last three decades and the ranges of all six seem to be static. The invasive potential of feral pigs in the Cape is low when compared with that in other parts of the world (Australia and the United States). The reason for their low invasive potential seems to be their inability to overcome the combined effects of habitat and biotic barriers. In optimal habitats, competition from the indigenous bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus) probably prevents invasion, whereas poor pre-adaptation to the wild, less suitable conditions in marginal habitats and the effects of predation by leopard (Panthera pardus) may explain their inability to invade natural habitats in the western Cape.

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