Video: Feral pigs are a widespread problem across North America, but in Puerto Rico, the issue is slightly different. The island is seeing an onslaught of Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) as former pets and their offspring reproduce at an alarming rate. The problem has worsened after pigs escaped in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
City officials have embarked on a new effort to eradicate them, after studying the pigs’ behavior to determine which traps work best. Trapped pigs are taken to a Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture facility to be euthanized. Authorities believe it may take a couple of years to eradicate the thousands of pigs believed to occupy the island, specially in the Metro Area in San Juan, Santurce and surrounding areas.
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