As recently as the early 1980s, feral swine were largely a problem of a few southern states. Searching for roots, grubs, water and mud, feral swine churn up fields, pastures and levees — ruining forage, eroding soil and fouling water. Yes — feral hog is edible and widely eaten; it is the same species as farm pork, just leaner and gamier. Feral swine are the main US wildlife reservoir for swine brucellosis (Brucella suis), and they can also carry trichinellosis, hepatitis E, toxoplasmosis and tularemia. Why the screwworm changes the stakesFor decades feral swine have been treated mainly as an economic and ecological problem.