I've heard reports of feral swine in New York's nearby Allegany State Park. I've also heard rumors of them in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, but I doubt those rumors are true. They're likely due to word-of-mouth confusion between the Allegany State Park and the Allegheny National Forest. (They're not the same - note that they're even spelled differently.)
Feral swine, or wild boars (they're called boars regardless of gender), are definitely in Pennsylvania. No one knows specifically where they came from, but they're probably escapees from fenced hunting operations or they may have been deliberately released.
They didn't arrive through normal expansion of territory - if that were true states adjacent to Pennsylvania would have a greater population, and that's not the case. Some neighboring states have a few, but they're not spreading across borders. (Interestingly, I haven't heard anyone accuse the Pennsylvania Game Commission of stocking them, though people continue to falsely allege that the PGC stocked coyotes.)
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The fact is that it's illegal to release any member of the pig family to roam free. Wild boars are wild, for sure, but they're no friend of wildlife. They're a non-native, invasive species. They're extremely destructive to both wildlife and domestic livestock. Their presence is a threat that takes many forms.
As of yet, no feral swine in Pennsylvania has tested positive for any infectious diseases, but they are known to harbor 18 viral diseases (10 can infect people) and 10 bacterial diseases (all are contagious to humans). Some of the diseases can be fatal to wildlife. Feral swine carry numerous parasites that can affect pets and livestock, too.
Besides carrying diseases, feral swine routinely destroy vital wildlife habitat by rooting and wallowing. When pigs feed in an area, they leave it looking like a plowed field, eliminating native plant populations and causing erosion.
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Wild boars will compete for food with deer, bears, turkeys and small game, and destroy nesting sites of turtles, turkeys, grouse and songbirds. They will prey on small animals and deer fawns. They are very aggressive and will eat virtually anything.
Adult wild boars usually weigh between 100 and 200 pounds, though they can exceed 400 pounds. They're very prolific and can breed at eight months, producing litters of eight to 12 young. Piglets can begin rooting within a few days of birth. Pigs traveling in groups (called sounders) can number more than 20.
If a feral swine population becomes permanent, it will create additional health and habitat concerns. They will come into conflict with people. They will threaten crops and livestock production. An established population will degrade the forests of Pennsylvania.
In Pennsylvania, any member of the pig family (suidae) that roams freely on public or private land is considered a feral swine.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, in a 2007 case called Seeton vs. PGC, declared feral swine in Pennsylvania to be under the jurisdiction of the Game Commission. However, the PGC (by its authorization under the Game Code) has removed protection almost everywhere in the state. The only exceptions are areas where PGC is making efforts to eradicate them by trapping. Hunting them in those areas is illegal because it's likely to disperse them, interfering with trapping eradication efforts.
Currently, the only county that has an active trapping program is Bedford in southcentral Pennsylvania. So, outside of Bedford County, if you're a licensed hunter and you see one during your treks in the woods this spring, don't hesitate to shoot it. Take the precaution of handling it with latex gloves.
Then report it to the Game Commission regional office within 24 hours. Eradication is the goal, and the more information the PGC has, the more likely we will reach that goal.