Aft
War
Wifth
The
Russians
The twelve Rimion wild boon, originally imported to
о
fenced hunting lodge on Hooper’s Bold, multiplied
ond began to
екоре о
bout 1 920 Eventually they moved into the Great Smoky Mountains Notional fork, ond
the problems began This one wos trapped by rongers m their progrom to protect the port from the boars'
depredations (photo «oortesy Notional Pork Service. U S 0 I)
Those imported boars
ji|»l».'ir<‘iif I y like» our
inoiiiiluins, but flio ieel-
intf is not neeessarily
mutuail.
Ky \H\Oi n
kKOC IIM \l.
North Carolina has opened its gates
to immigrants, beginning with ihe early
settlers from the British Isles, and
going on to the Swiss. Dutch, tier-
mans. Italians. Greeks and many
others. However this has changed
somewhat in the latest arrivals, the
Russian wild boars, whose reception
has been somewhat mixed.
Introduced in 1912 in the North Car¬
olina mountain area known as Snow¬
bird. twenty-five miles from Rob-
hinsville. the approximately twelve
boars were part of a shipment which
also included elk. mule deci. Russian
brown bears, turkeys, and English
ring-neck pheasant, the basis for a
hunting lodge program established by
an English timber company in
Hooper's Bald.
Although the name Russian boar has
stuck, it could just as well have come
from elsewhere in Europe, as ii is con¬
sidered an outstanding game animal
and is fairly common all over the con¬
tinent.
Problems Begin
By 1920. the original twelve had in¬
creased to about one hundred and had
begun to escape from the fenced area.
The boars found the w ild mountains of
North Carolina to their liking, par¬
ticularly the large mast crops of
acorns. They survived, although all Ihe
other introductions disappeared. Al¬
though hunted, they reproduced and
survived.
Problems began in 1950 or so. w hen
the boars moved into the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. The Na¬
tional Park Service began a program of
shooting them to protect native species
and natural processes of the park
ecosystem, as well as permitting vis
itors to see undisturbed natural areas.
I he question of pollution of natural
water sources, transmission of dis¬
eases from the boars to humans and
wildlife was also a reason given for
killing the park boars. Their eating
snails, crayfish and amphibians like
salamanders, and competing for food
with deer, turkey, squirrels, chip¬
munks and the bear are all pari of their
burden of guilt.
The U. S. Forest Service joined in
on the attack on the animals with some
of the siime criticisms, plus
л
few
others, such as accusing them of de¬
stabilizing soil, being objectionable to
campers, and eating acorn seeds.
Defending The Boar
However. North Carolinians have
repeatedly come to the defense of what
is an extremely intelligent survivor.
Local hunting groups declare it is now
a native, having established itself in the
ecosystem for over 60 years.
At a public hearing at Fontana Vil¬
lage a few years back an irate North
Carolinian protested the use of profes¬
sional hunters and dogs, and claimed
over 9(H) animals had been shot and
THE STATE. May 1984
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
14
