Chapter 30: Feral pigs in Australia and New Zealand327
Figure 30.2 Feral pigs at a watering
point close to the inland extent of their
distribution in north-west New South
Wales. Pigs require frequent access to
fresh water and are able to persist in
many semi-arid areas that would be
inhabitable if not for the provision of
watering points for livestock (photo by
Troy Crittle).Figure 30.3 Feral boar at a water
point in the semi-arid rangelands of
western Queensland. Australian feral
pig phenotypes typically appear
more similar to Eurasian wild boar
than to any particular domestic breed
although domestic traits are often still
evident (photo by Angus Emmott).genetically indistinguishable populations can cover vast areas in
semi-arid regions in the interior of the continent (> 85,000 km^2 ,
Cowled et al. 2008a) and surveys in the south-west have shown
deliberate translocations of individuals between populations sep-
arated by hundreds of kilometres (Spencer & Hampton 2005).
The New Zealand situation is somewhat similar.
Archaeological evidence indicates the arrival of pigs with the first
European colonists (Davidson 1984), although there is some
suggestion that kunekune pigs were kept by Māori before the
arrival of Europeans (Tipene 1980). However, the first record of
pigs being transported to New Zealand is with the second and
third voyages of Captain James Cook, who gifted domestic pigs
to the Māori people in 1773 and also released some onto the
mainland (Clarke & Dzieciolowski 1991). However, contrary to.03212:55:46