Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries

Part II: Species Accounts

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The collared peccary’s ability to inhabit diverse vegetation

types may help the species to survive in disturbed habitats

such as highly hunted and fragmented areas. In the southern

USA, collared peccaries are abundant on the outskirts of large

cities. They have become accustomed to people and are often

seen walking on streets, foraging through garbage bins or gar-

dens (Figure 24.4; M. Altrichter, personal observation). In the

Calakmul area of Mexico, the collared peccary is common and

considered an important crop-raider in fragmented areas where

people cultivate corn, squash, and other crops. Despite suffer-

ing heavy hunting pressure, it was found that collared peccaries

were common in some areas of southern Mexico (Weber 2000;

Naranjo 2002; Reyna-Hurtado & Tanner 2007) and in several

sites of the Amazon forest (Peres 1996).

Figure 24.3 Collared peccary (Pecari

tajacu) from Calakmul area, Mexico

(photo by Rafael Reyna-Hurtado).

Figure 24.2 Collared peccary (Pecari

tajacu) from Pantanal area, Brazil (photo

by Alexine Keuroghlian).

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