Where do they live?

Heard they were spreading out a bit.

They seem to be centered around the Chapparal Wild management area in South Tx. They can't go too far north because they can't handle cold weather and as burruow diggers they need realtevy sand soil to live under.

They actually live in burrows dug by other animals. Primarily aardvarks.

Last I heard, there are aren't any ardvarks in S. TX although there might be chupacabras.

Whaaaaat about armadillo dens?

Dillers are much smaller than warthogs.

Also, there is at least one Texas exotic ranch with Warthogs on the menu. Not cheap, but the lodge is nice and it costs less than a trip to Africa. They have other exotics also.

There are game survey photos of warthogs on the Chapperal. They got off someone game ranch.

Quite fascinating that there are warthogs in the US. I am surprised that the authorities allowed it as they can be invasive.
They are very invasive in the Eastern Cape where they are not actually native.
An interesting fact is that it was assumed that they could not handle cold weather, but they have been found to be highly adaptable, living in hard, dry areas with annual snowfalls.
This is within a few miles of where I live and they should be on my ranch within a few years.

thats how domestic pigs got started in Texas, now they are out of control..and the damage they do is beyond belief...

Ive seen and hunted warthogs in 6 inches of snow and in the rocky high mountains of RSA, they get better trophy tusks in the sandy loam country as they wear the tusks more in hard rock country..It appears to me they are more adaptable than some give them credit for, I know Russians and domestic pigs can handle cold weather...They have some hog hunts in Southern Idaho where I live..Texas was covered in deep snow this year, and death tolls were high on African, and American game Im sure, Nilgai can't handle cold at all..

The last thing we need in Texas are feral warthogs.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
The last thing we need in Texas are feral warthogs.

You are definitely right about that, but you will find them quite different from your feral hogs with which they cannot interbreed.
Warthogs do not dig up earth and damage croplands as feral hogs do, but rather graze on short grass.
They are also diurnal and may just provide some excellent hunting! Warthog hunts are some of the most enjoyable about.
That said, it would be foolish for the authorities to allow them to become established.

Sounds like it is too late. They seem to be establishing themselves right now. And they need to be severly controlled or it will be similar to feral hogs. Be Well, Packy.

A question, how do the feral hogs and thr warthogs get along?

AP,
IMHO, Too soon to tell.
So far all I have found is speculation.
It is likely that Texas fish and game is closely watching for any reports of Warthog activity, but since it has been verified that Warthogs have been photographed in areas several hundred miles apart with piglets, there is proof that they are spreading and multiplying.
My guess is that they are here to stay.

quote:

Originally posted by arkypete:
A question, how do the feral hogs and thr warthogs get along?

I suspect that they will largely ignore each other and eat relatively different food. Warthogs and bushpig live side-by-side, but I understand that feral hogs are much more aggressive in their colonization of an area than bushpigs.

A question: how were these warthogs introduced in the first place? Illegally so?

Question:

I was thinking that the two varieties of pig might see the other as potential food. Thanks for your reply.

The warthogs, as are all the exotics in Texas, come from excess zoo stock. They were on someones ranch and got loose.

I prefer wart hogs to feral hogs, I doubt a 300 lb wart hog would tale any guff off a feral hog and the wart has larger, longer tusches..I wouldn't mind if they established themselves on my ranch..They don't seem to tear up the land like a feral pig and they are a wild animal and thats a plus..

All,
A friend of mine has seen warthog on his game camera on a lease in the lower Rio Grande valley.

Another friend has game camera film of a female Warthog with piglets on his property east of College Station.

They have moved in !

NMG&F ought to release a few on the White Sands Missile Range, just to keep the oryx company.

Roundl up a couple pairs and
drop 'em off Bill.

George