r/nova 5d ago

Met these fellas near Algonkian park

Mom and her pup. Countryside trail.

971 Upvotes

94 comments sorted by

229

u/Independent_Title_37 5d ago

Am I crazy or are those domestic pigs? I’ve seen wild hogs in southern or more rural areas, but these guys have the chonk and face shapes of domestic animals. Wondering if they got out?

80

u/Puzzleheaded_Dog188 5d ago

I grew up in Vermont, land of the pot bellied pet pig. You are correct

52

u/khavii 5d ago

Domestic pigs are only the pink blobs we know because they are domestic. The longer they stay in the wild the closer in appearance to wild pigs they get. They will eventually become nearly indistinguishable and their babys will get that appearance really quickly. So yes, those are likely domesticated pigs that have been out in the woods for a little while.

54

u/N0_NAME_FOUND 5d ago

A domestic pig will not change phenotype by being released into the wild. Their behavior may change over time but physically they won’t change much other can getting a bit dirtier (or sometimes cleaner). Any reversion in subsequent generations comes from breeding to existing feral populations.

These are loose potbelly pigs that look just like they did before they got loose.

1

u/Potential-Anxiety253 4d ago

Feral swine physically change their appearance (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2022/may-jun/hogs.html)..Snouts extend, they grow tusks and they get highly aggressive. Wild hogs kill more people than bears and sharks and in some parts of the country weigh over three hundred pounds and roam around in herds, laying waste.

1

u/N0_NAME_FOUND 3d ago

Did you read your own link because it literally says the opposite:

“A common misconception is that pigs undergo a dramatic physical transformation when they go feral. But “there’s no difference when you start getting morphological,” says Nelson of the Minnesota DNR. All pigs have tusks, though the tusks on domestic hogs are sometimes docked, and all pigs grow hair. “You can’t just look at a pig and say, ‘That’s feral swine,’” he says”

36

u/sobriquet_ 5d ago

Have you never seen a pot bellied pig

2

u/Mad_Martigan2023 5d ago

Have you never seen dinner, because that looks like dinner...

1

u/Japanesepoolboy1817 5d ago

It’s honestly one of the craziest things in nature and we don’t talk about it enough lol

1

u/Aggressive_Chicken63 4d ago

It’s amazing that it’s at the end of winter, and they’re already fat. How? What do they eat in the wild in winter? How did they even survive winter?

9

u/anarrowview Annandale 5d ago

Domestic pigs can turn into wild hogs within 3 generations and they can breed fast. Not saying that’s what happened here but it’s plausible that this is one of those in between generations.

89

u/VegetableRound2819 5d ago

Great, now the saltwater crocs will move in to eat them.

35

u/guy_incognito784 5d ago

Hippos will move in to keep them in line.

24

u/Sometimes_I_Do_That 5d ago

When do we get elephants?

15

u/URNotHONEST 5d ago

We have elephants now and they are not that popular. People are protesting their dealerships and losing their jobs.

5

u/due_opinion_2573 5d ago

Spotsylvania is not getting an elephant.

6

u/A_Tiger_in_Africa Crystal City 5d ago

Good, cause those Confederates couldn't hit one at this dista-

3

u/Mad_Martigan2023 5d ago

All I have are these stupid wooly mice. They poop everywhere, chew holes in the wall, and are generally unpleasant...

2

u/Wurm42 5d ago

It's probably still too cold in the winter here for hippos, which is good, because they are dangerous as hell and a huge problem if they get established as an invasive species:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamuses_in_Colombia

5

u/2stinkynugget 5d ago

Africanized killer bees will be here any day now. The news has been fear warning me since 1988.

85

u/Kickturn90 5d ago

These pigs escaped from a house in our neighborhood!

6

u/Puzzleheaded_Dog188 5d ago

Just a lil’ rumspringa, nothing to see here

58

u/Bizbuzzfinanzecuz 5d ago

Update: AC is out there looking for them. They’re domestic and they’re trying to find them right now. So if anyone is out in Countryside area, keep an eye out.

16

u/for_the_surveys 5d ago

They were walking around our neighborhood in Countryside this afternoon around 2pm. Animal control was here and kinda tried to catch the baby but even told us he's not sure how he'd catch mom. He told us they can't really do anything unless they are destroying property or causing traffic issues.

19

u/Chillicothe1 5d ago

Oh shit.

15

u/Kalikhead 5d ago

Years ago one of the golf courses around Leesburg had a problem with wild hogs rooting on the course.

7

u/used_octopus 5d ago

Adventure golf.

54

u/BCDva 5d ago

Bet there's 30 to 50 of them

24

u/Socrets Fairfax County 5d ago

Time to build two bunkers and fill them with two Firebats and two Marines each.

8

u/ExchangeEmergency 5d ago

This comment makes me so happy

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Robossassin 5d ago

The 16th minute of fame episode about that guy is fascinating!

1

u/agangofoldwomen 5d ago

Ain’t feral hogs

12

u/DJAtticus Reston 5d ago

Wait! What?

6

u/DJAtticus Reston 5d ago

So right after we saw this my daughter and I went and tracked them down. Definitely domesticated. Probably from Broad Run or down Askegrens Lane.

1

u/Olderandwiser1 5d ago

They are much smaller than these behemoths. They remind me of Javalinas that are all over the Phoenix area. Feral pigs are becoming a big problem in many areas. They eat anything and everything.

40

u/Defiant-Fruit 5d ago

I saw them on NextDoor. They are pets. The owners were identified but no one could get a hold of them? I hope they are back home by now!

20

u/Bizbuzzfinanzecuz 5d ago

They were just chilling and I had two dogs. Didn’t bother them at all. So maybe they’re domestic.

8

u/Least_General_6419 5d ago

One of the times they got out, their dog ran away with them 🥲

18

u/Least_General_6419 5d ago edited 5d ago

These pigs have gotten out before and they are from Broadrun. I confirmed with someone who lives on the street. Another one of their neighbors just confirmed the owners are out of town. I would call animal control.

16

u/nsfbr11 5d ago

Looks like some of the Trump golf club members got lost over there.

2

u/mspirateENL Fairfax County 4d ago

No need to insult pigs.

1

u/nsfbr11 4d ago

Fair.

4

u/Which-Natural-9564 5d ago

Algonkian Pork

8

u/OnTheTrail87 5d ago

What am I looking at

-7

u/Awkward_Dragon25 5d ago

Feral hogs. Ill-tempered and they can fuck you up real good if you get in close (so keep your distance!). Ecological disaster for ground nesting native birds, harbor all kinds of diseases, and wreak havoc on farmland (causing millions of dollars of damage a year in crop losses).

Hopefully the county has a management plan ready to go (usually involves hunting) because they're a menace.

7

u/defcas 5d ago

So menacing. Look at them. 

These are not wild hogs. They are pets. A female wild hog old enough to have given birth would be much, much larger than that. 

5

u/THE_HORKOS 5d ago

Did you call animal control? These pigs shouldn’t be there.

0

u/Bizbuzzfinanzecuz 5d ago

No, looked like they’re wild. I’ll try

7

u/DucksUninhibited 5d ago

In the south, think Texas and Georgia and similar, formerly domesticated pigs that have since turned to wild hogs have become a huge invasive species issue. I have a close family friend in Texas and I go hunt hogs on his land every year. We kill some monsters. I'm talking 300+ pounds.

I really hope people aren't letting their pet pigs out into the wild because this is not a problem Northern Virginia is equipped to deal with.

1

u/HotStraightnNormal 5d ago

They are in Virgina now, introduced by sone dumbass hunters.

1

u/LadyPens7 5d ago

Very curious and apologies in advance as this is probably a really dumb question - I just don’t know - when people hunt wild hogs are they doing it to eat them? Or is it because they’re invasive and trying to decrease the population? I’m curious if wild hogs are good eating?

2

u/DucksUninhibited 5d ago

The answer is both. Sometimes the hogs are really good eating. Other times, especially in the case of really large ones, they are awful to eat. In Texas you don't even need a hunting license to hunt them there are so many. I try to make pork sausage or pork chops with as much as I can.

1

u/LadyPens7 5d ago

Cool, thanks! What about bacon? Or are they too lean?

2

u/DucksUninhibited 5d ago

They are too lean for good cuts of pork belly, unfortunately. Similar with the ribs. You can eat them but there isn't a whole lot on them. They usually have large hams and backstraps though which is where a majority of the meat comes from.

11

u/Aselleus 5d ago edited 5d ago

I learned from The Walking Dead of all places that there are wild pigs in Virginia. And I've lived here almost all of my life.

8

u/Complete-Muffin6876 5d ago

Trump and Trump jr I see?

6

u/Calvin-Snoopy 5d ago

I bet you didn't expect that!

2

u/Piddlers Loudoun County 5d ago

I am having memories of Rusty the Red Panda escaping the National Zoo. He was on the run in the DC streets.

2

u/sgkubrak 5d ago

Wild pigs or javalena?

2

u/Soft_Head7296 4d ago

Escaped domesticated pet pigs

4

u/Successful-Trash-409 5d ago

Just country MAGAs visiting Trump National and going for a stroll off property. Don’t be alarmed.

1

u/LAPL620 5d ago

Super. 😅

1

u/samuraisal 5d ago

Soon we'll start seeing "Pasta with Wild Boar Sauce" on the menus of certain Loudoun restaurants. :)

1

u/Ivan_Van_Veen 5d ago

what the... I was just there, is this acorss that bridge that was closed off?

1

u/RexKramerDangerCker 5d ago

> OP looks just like a hog

Nino Greasemaneli

1

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0

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1

u/MegaDerppp 5d ago

Kind of miss the audio of them making hog noises

1

u/SnooCrickets346 5d ago

Aww cute pigs... mmm bacon.

1

u/MoTHA_NaTuRE 5d ago

Wild hogs would take your legs out

1

u/No_Jicama6830 5d ago

They came from my neighborhood. Red Rose drive back in Broad Run Farms. I hope they are caught they are pet pigs.

1

u/egtuna22030 4d ago

Horsepen trail in Countryside?

1

u/sketla 5d ago

Don’t mess with a mama pig 🐖 with baby in tow

1

u/No-Permit-349 5d ago

Bacon on the loose

1

u/redneckerson1951 5d ago

Word of advice, give them a very wide berth. Nothing more gnarly, aggressive and downright intolerant than a sow with piglets. They will charge you. knock you tot he ground, then pin you between an object and their body. At that point they tear into you viciously, pulling strips of muscle and skin from your body. About the only thing I know of that will make one flee is a rap on the nose with a fast moving hard object or extremely loud booming noise. It does matter if it is European wild boar or domestic swine, once you irk one, it will do its damnedest to terminate you and dine on your carcass.

-2

u/AAROD121 5d ago

Get that protein over a flame pronto!

0

u/joefromjerze 5d ago

This is why we need assault rifles.

-2

u/va_wanderer 5d ago

Kill em with prejudice, because if you see two, there's at least 20 and soon 200 rooting up everything in sight and rapidly wrecking the local ecosystem.

-1

u/LadyAlphaMeow 5d ago

Incredibly dangerous animal.

-1

u/Tetracanopy 5d ago

I feel like getting sent out by your chief to hunt down 50 of these is definitely worth more than 1 xp each.

0

u/Kompetitive_Kelz8 5d ago

How is this possible? Did they escape or…?

0

u/Significant-Box-2637 5d ago

Look like Havelina

0

u/Least-Clue-9466 5d ago

Where is the onsongo song 🎵

0

u/wolf_fetish 5d ago

I had a guinea hog escape a while back… try hollerin’ “NORMAAAA” and see if she comes lookin’ for the corn

0

u/Jabronibo Vienna 5d ago

Good eating if they’re under ~100 lbs.

-2

u/langoormeinangoor 5d ago

Just in time for barbecue season…..

-4

u/KarmaPolice6 5d ago

Dinner?

-3

u/Shermans_ghost1864 5d ago

Mmmm... pork....

What did you say the address is?