Feral swine (Sus scrofa) cause extensive damage to commercial agriculture, wildlife, natural habitats, and personal property throughout a growing number of states. There is a need to quantify the location and type of this damage in Tennessee. We surveyed four groups of agriculture and natural resource management professionals to identify how feral swine populations have dispersed across Tennessee in the last 25 years and identify what type of damage they caused. Farm Bureau County Presidents, University of Tennessee Extension Agents, Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationists, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officers were surveyed in each of the 95 Tennessee counties to identify counties inhabited by feral swine and categorize the damage they cause. According to survey respondents, feral swine have become widespread throughout Tennessee with reported populations in 89 of 95 counties. Although 35 counties (37%) reported ≤ 5 total complaints of damage caused by feral swine, 39 counties (41%) indicated that complaints first occurred within the last five years (2008 - 2012). Additional studies are needed to further quantify expansion of feral swine populations and develop empirical estimates of damage caused by feral swine.
