Wild pigs have a variety of names - boars, razorbacks, or just plain hogs or pigs. However, they were not always wild. Years ago some escaped from their farm homes and easily adapted to living in the wild.
There were no pigs in Hawaii until someone imported a number of tame ones. Some of these escaped into the nearby forests and shorelines. Today they have become Hawaii’s worst pest. Among other things, they destroy beautiful tree ferns by gnawing into the stems for food. Another plant they eat is the banana-poke, spreading the seeds around, making it an added problem because it chokes out other native plants.
Both California and North Carolina have thousands of these black, fat, short-legged animals with pointed snouts and bare tails. Many other North American areas have similar problems with them, all resulting from imported tame pigs escaping into the wild years ago. Hunters shoot them by the thousands. But it is impossible to keep ahead of them since the sows give birth to about six babies twice a year.
The wild pigs’ food includes acorns, hazelnuts, chestnuts and berries, hoggishly depriving many birds, deer, bears and other wild creatures of what they need. Another disadvantage is that these creatures do not hibernate in the winter, but rain, snow and freezing weather seem to make them hungrier. With part of their regular food not available, they strip bark off many trees, looking for hidden insects. This results in ruining some forested areas.
As if these traits are not bad enough, they love to change a forest pond or part of a shallow stream into a filthy mud hole as they wallow and get covered with mud. These areas soon become polluted and foul smelling due to all the filth. This attracts flies and other insects that carry some of the disease-laden filth to farmyards, homes, parks and other public areas, harming not only farm animals and birds, but people as well.
These vicious, unpleasant beasts are an example of what sin has brought into the world, for when God created them, they were not this way. This reminds us that Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin against God, and Satan is still trying to keep people from responding to God’s love. Read the warning in our opening Bible verse.
Our loving God wants us to turn from our sinful ways and look to His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of all who will come to Him. The Bible tells us this: “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)). Have you come to Him with your sins?
ML-08/08/2004