Feral Pig Eradication Begins on Santa Cruz Island Contact:
Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725 The National Park Service (NPS) and
The Nature Conservancy announced today the initiation of a long-
anticipated program to eradicate feral pigs from Santa Cruz
Island to save the endangered island fox and nine rare plants
from extinction and protect archaeological sites. Feral
pigs—originally imported to the island as domestic farm animals
in the 1850s—root up native vegetation, causing massive erosion,
spreading invasive weeds, and destroying ancient Chumash
archaeological sites. The pigs have also attracted a new
predator to the island, the golden eagle, which has hunted the
island fox to near extinction. Fewer than 100 foxes exist in the
wild. “Today marks the beginning of a new recovery era for Santa
Cruz Island and the island fox,” said Lotus Vermeer, director of
The Nature Conservancy’s Santa Cruz Island Preserve.
“Eliminating the pigs will give the island’s endangered plants
and animals a new lease on life.” “The nat