Those Pesky Pigs - by Richard C Trible (Paperback)

About the Book

This is a photographic study of javelinas that have made frequent visits to my property. In addition to the photographs, I made observations about their actions. They are interesting creatures and they behave like no other.

Book Synopsis

This book is a collection of photographs and observations of a family of javelinas (collared peccaries) that started hanging out on my property. I live in a region of the Sonoran Desert known as the Arizona uplands subdivision. The place is called Picture Rocks, located northwest of Tucson Arizona. Saguaro National Park West is a mile south.

Javelinas are a medium size animal that look like pigs but are not related. They are also known as collard peccaries. They can be found in parts of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and south through Mexico, Central America and northern Argentina.

It's not an edge of your seat compelling drama. Mainly javelinas hanging out and sometimes wreaking havoc as they tend to do. I relate my experiences with Those Pesky Pigs. There are some anecdotes but mainly a timeline and random observations about these interesting critters. Nonetheless, this is primarily a photography book, a photo essay. There are over 160 photos in this book, some of which are full page. These weren't animals just passing through. My property is part of their habitat. I live in a trailer and these critters started using the space underneath my trailer on many occasions as a place to "hang out". Perhaps more significant, it became a place to have babies. While they were never friendly, I learned how to approach them and could often get just a few feet away from them. These are very social animals. Just the photos in this book represent encounters on 43 different days. As my place was a destination, I got to spend quite a bit of time with them.

Review Quotes

As a member of the IUCN Peccary Specialist group and long-term researcher of peccaries, I found Richard Trible's book fascinating. Richard made incredible observations of javelinas from his own home in the desert, obtained beautiful pictures, and used a keen sense of curiosity and wonder to reveal this species' interesting and peculiar behaviors. Richard uses a casual and at times funny tone to describe his observations. Any animal lover will appreciate this book, and many will become javelina lovers.

Mariana Altrichter

Environmental Studies Faculty

Prescott College

IUCN Peccary Specialist Group