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Socially Isolated Wild Pigs Usually Stayed Near Trap Sites After Sounder Removal

Wildlife manager preparing bait inside a corral trap for feral swine
Research · Behaviour

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) left behind after other members of their social group were removed by trapping generally remained close to the original trap area, according to a GPS-tracking study from Alabama, USA. Researchers followed 18 females that became socially isolated after trapping events and examined their movements over the following 30 days.

Individual responses varied considerably, but the pigs were on average 1.2 km from the trap site during the post-trapping period. About 55% stayed within 1.2 km of the trap site throughout the collaring period, and only three animals moved more than 2 km away. The greatest distance recorded for any individual was about 6.4 km. Home-range sizes remained relatively stable, and the animals rarely showed the broad dispersal that could have been expected after losing the rest of their sounder.

Group composition and body condition also mattered

The researchers also found differences linked to the animals’ original groups and body condition. Females from sounders with a higher proportion of females moved farther from the trap after removal, while animals in better body condition showed lower movement velocities. Overall overlap in space use among isolated individuals was limited.

Site fidelity could aid follow-up trapping

The authors interpret the continued site fidelity as a predictable behavioural response that can be useful when trapping does not remove an entire sounder. Because surviving animals often remained spatially accessible near the original trap site, follow-up removal efforts may be able to focus on the same area rather than assuming the remaining pigs have dispersed far away. The study included only females, however. The authors note that males may disperse more widely, so the observed pattern should not automatically be generalized to socially isolated males.

Sources and image credit

  1. Gomez-Maldonado, S., McDonough, M. T., Valente, J. J., Smith, M. D., & Ditchkoff, S. S. (2026). Spatial behavior of socially isolated wild pigs (Sus scrofa) following sounder removal via trapping. Pest Management Science, 82(6), 5225–5236. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70630Primary open-access research article first published 12 March 2026. GPS collars on 18 female wild pigs were used to quantify movement for 30 days after trapping left them socially isolated. Responses varied, but mean distance from the trap was 1.2 km and maximum observed distance 6.37 km; ranges remained relatively stable and broad dispersal was uncommon. Females from sounders with a higher proportion of females moved farther, while pigs in better body condition had lower movement velocities.

Image: Jay Cumbee / USDA APHIS, via Wikimedia Commons — work at a corral trap for feral swine in the United States, 2 April 2014. Illustrative photograph, not from the study. · Public Domain — USDA APHIS · Source

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