California’s wild pigs are descendents of the European wild boar, introduced to Monterey County, California in the 1920s; and domestic swine, imported by European settlers in the 1700s. Domestic swine foraged freely, eventually becoming semi-wild, or “feral.” Over time, they interbred with the European boar. Today’s California wild pig is actually a wild boar/feral pig hybrid. The physical characteristics of a California wild pig vary significantly throughout the state. Some exhibit the long hair and snouts, small erect ears and angular shaped bodies of their wild boar ancestors, while others have short hair, long floppy ears, and a barrel-shaped body.
Colors range from solid black to red, striped, grizzled or spotted. Even if you don’t see wild pigs, evidence of their presence is obvious – it could be as benign as a few pig tracks, or an entire hillside that looks like it’s been worked over with a rototiller. It should be noted that if you shoot one, Leo "will have nothing to do with cleaing it.".
