Feral hog shot at Will Rogers World Airport

A feral hog that was burrowing under fencing around the Will Rogers World Airport was shot and killed Tuesday after efforts to trap the animal failed.

Airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Management team reported about 11 a.m. Tuesday that the hog had breached the fence around the airport’s air operations center, and could have gotten loose onto taxiways or runways.

She said the breach was very close to a taxi way, which could jeopardize the safety of airplanes and passengers, adding that the hog could have damaged a plane's landing gear or engine if it made it to an active runway.

Carney said the airport contracts with the USDA to manage wildlife at the airport, which typically involves eliminating water or trees on the property to discourage birds and other animals from settling near the airfield.

She said the killing of the animal was a last resort after attempts to trap the animal were unsuccessful.

State officials said feral hogs are found in 70 of the 77 counties in the state.

In January, Jim Reese, secretary of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, said 32,237 feral hogs were killed in the state last year. He told The Oklahoman that there are an estimated 6 million feral swine in the U.S. that cause $1.5 billion in damage annually for property owners.

Reese said according to data from the Noble Research Institute, there are between 430,000 and 1.6 million feral hogs thought to be in the state.