Invasive Species Project

China Jackson

1B ESS

Mrs. Blackwell

September 17, 2015

“Invasive Species Project”

The first wild pigs Invaded first in the year 1758, and the raccoon dog invaded in 1834. In the United States Feral pigs originated solely from domestic stock brought to North America by early European explorers and settlers. Many years later, Eurasian wild boar were introduced into parts of the United States for hunting purposes. Raccoon dogs are mostly in japan and are illegal in the United States to keep as a pet. Feral pigs live in south east Africa, and eat grasses, forbs, roots and tubers, browse, mast (acorns), fruits, bulbs and mushrooms. Raccoon dogs are carnivores and eat other animals. Invasive species are primarily spread by human activities, often unintentionally. People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly, and they often carry uninvited species with them. The direct threats of invasive species: preying on native species out-competing native species for food or other resources causing or carrying disease, preventing native species from reproducing or killing their young.

The feral pig is able to be watched and kept in check in west Africa more than the United States because they know how to deal with them and also know how to take care of them and have more knowledge about them. Raccoon dogs are pest and are not wanted. They originate from Asia and are able to be under control there because they are used to them and have been adapted to that area.  The feral pig and raccoon both have their own reasons why they are needed and help the world. But they both could also harm it as well. The feral pig is harmful by causing damage to livestock, agricultural fields, forests, and the environment, and threatening native wildlife. Feral pigs are proving to be one of the most efficient and dangerous invasive species ever known. Smart, industrious, voracious and omnivorous eaters, they reproduce quickly and destroy everything in their path.  Raccoon dogs—along with foxes (red and gray), skunks, and bats—are considered a primary carrier of the rabies virus in the United States.