Feral hogs cause about $25B in damage each year
What can grow 5 feet long, up to 400 pounds and is one of the most destructive invasive species in the United States?
Wild hogs are the correct answer! Also called feral swine, wild hogs are the same species as domesticated pigs found on farms.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.
Since their introduction to the U.S. in the 1500s, the feral swine population have expanded across more than three quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.
The wild animal has expanded westward and northward, with states like California, Hawaii, and Michigan reporting a fairly large feral hog populations.
Florida, Georgia and Texas have the most feral hog reports in the U.S, according to data from the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
In 2023 alone, Texas had 2,425 feral hog spottings, followed by 1,377 in Georgia.
Fifteen states had no feral hog spottings this year.
The animal’s range has expanded more westward and northward over time, with at least 35 states reporting feral swine presence. States like California, Hawaii, and Michigan now have relatively large feral hog populations.
Nearly 300 native plant and animal species in the U.S. are in rapid decline because of feral swine, and many of the species are already at risk, according to Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The swine also carry at least 40 parasites, 30 bacterial and viral illnesses, and can infect humans, livestock and other animals with diseases like brucellosis and tuberculosis.
In some states, total elimination of feral hogs is the end goal for conservationists.
The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership killed 9,857 feral hogs in 2021, bringing the total number of hogs killed since 2016 to more than 54,000.
Public hunting is one of the most popular mitigation tactics of wild hogs and has become a common recreational activity. But hogs often relocate in response to pressures of hunting. Fencing and trapping can be more effective in mitigating wild hog populations, but require more upkeep and investment, according to Captain Experiences.
Karnes,