SciFiJim wrote:
If you trap them (like on May17th) can they be redomesticated and used as breeding stock?
Depends upon what you mean by "re-domesticated"... in terms of how long it would take and how successful you would be.
If you mean: Can they be tamed down and used for breeding, then yes....fairly quickly as well.
If you mean: Will they revert to a domestic state that results in physical characteristics consistent with commercial breeds. Yes, but it will take a long time..(many generations) and some amount of selective breeding would be required.
Domestic hogs are normally bred for maximum meat production. They usually display shorter hair, shorter legs, curled tail, floppy ears, waddles, a shorter snout and broader head.
Those physical characteristics would not be "attributes" in the wild...and are quickly lost (in as little as several generations). In other words, hogs will "revert" to a feral state much quicker than you can achieve the inverse with them.
Feral or truly "wild" hogs...are well adapted to their environment. They have ears that are large and erect for detecting danger. They have "the best nose in the business"...capable of detecting scent particles at a level of only a few "parts per million". The snout is longer (for rooting), the legs longer (for running/traveling), the hair longer (for protection), eyesight is better than most folks give them credit for.
IMO, they also form stronger social groups than do domestic hogs. Domestic hogs (like feral or wild hogs) are very intelligent, BUT their lives do not depend on it.
Feral hogs literally use all of their senses and intelligence to "make a living" every single day.
But, back to your question: Yes genetically speaking, domestic and feral hogs are no different. They are products of their environment and breeding. They are "pliable" with respect to what can be done to change their physical appearance (over time).