Porcine Press Hog Invasion Update – Aerial gunner kills 69 hogs in Nebraska
Nebraska is taking the battle to the hogs, according to this article in the Journal Star online edition. In an effort to eradicate hogs from the state, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has hired aerial gunners to shoot the hogs from helicopters.
This shooting took place in Harlan County. Sam Wilson, the commission’s furbearer specialist commented to reporters:
“We believe we were successful in removing more than 90 percent of the pigs in the area,” Wilson said. “We are hopeful that this population can be completely eradicated and we will continue to cover the area looking for sign.”
Of course, the whole thing raises something that’s begun to trouble me a bit of late.
I’ve heard, and even said, many times over, that feral and wild hogs are a destructive, invasive species. They don’t belong in any ecosystem in this country, so it stands to reason that they shouldn’t be allowed to proliferate. Right?
But how much do we know, for sure, about their negative impact? I mean, of course crop damage is documented and quantifiable. Hard to argue with that. And the potential risk to domestic stocks if there’s an outbreak of something like pseudorabies or brucellosis… well it’s not too hard to understand why the farmers are concerned.
I’m starting to wonder though, if more research into the environmental impact of wild and feral hogs wouldn’t be real helpful right about now. Do they displace native species, or do they fill a niche? Some researchers, for example, have argued that wild hogs fill the niche vacated by the CA grizzly bears. Some other folks have suggested that their “rototilling” behavior helps aerate and turn the soil. And others have argued that they compete with native species like deer and turkeys, destroy ground nesting birds, and aggravate erosion by rooting the banks of waterways.
Anyway, I know some of this research has already been done, or is being done now; and I am also fully aware that the research will need to focus on local ecosystems as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I’d like to see more of this research before I lock in my opinion about further eradication efforts. There’s a big part of me that believes there’s a possibility that wild hogs could be managed for sporting purposes in some areas… particularly in places where eradication efforts are too little, too late (like California and Texas).
I dunno… but I’m starting to question a lot of “common wisdom” about wild hogs and hunting, lately. Maybe I’m off on a lark all of a sudden, but it never hurts to ask the questions.
Asking questions is always a good thing to do. I’m not sure how I stand on this topic either. I know how destructive they can be and I’m not sure if they could be managed for sport purposes or not.
An interesting question though Phillip and it will get people thinking.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Sometimes you have to ask, even if you’re not sure you want to know the answers.
Even better is, if my question makes someone else start asking questions too… that’s how we get answers.
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
This is an interesting one isn’t it. In the UK wild boar as we call them were hunted out a few hundred years ago.
I’m told that the reason we have the famous bluebell woods of southern England is because there aren’t the hogs to eat their tubers.In recent years wild boar have reintroduced themselves through escaping from the farms that were ranching them for the sausage trade. Another source has been animal rights nutters realising them by breaking down the fences at farms. DEFRA (the department for environment farming and rural affairs) is ‘consulting’ on the subject of just how much and what needs to be done about them. They are legal to hunt with 308 cal and above, although we lost the right to bow hunt here about 1000 years ago! If you’re interested in more examples of how they interact with city’s Berlin is the place to look for more info. I’ve heard they have become a major suburban pest there.
Regards
SBW
March 11th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I don’t think you have seen the damage or did much reading about wild hogs or you would not be asking such a question. They are non-native and do a huge amount of damange, plus carry diseases. Cannot think anything redeeming about them.
Do a search on wild hog in Texas and you will see some pretty good discussions about damnage and danger of wild hogs.
March 18th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Hi Larry, and thanks for dropping in.
With all due respect, I’ve actually done a lot of research and reading about wild hogs and their reputed damage. I’ve heard a lot of “stuff” about them.
But I’ve also spent a good bit of the past several years in their adoptive habitat, and seen, first hand, what they’re doing… or more importantly, I’m seeing what they are NOT doing.
Simply “doing a search” on a topic is not the same as learning about the topic. The questions I raise are from my own experience, as well as that of many other people who have spent enough time around these animals and the places they live to have legitimate concerns about the validity of the information being passed to the general public.
I could be wrong. We could be wrong. But I think it’s right and fair to question the status quo.
March 19th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Phillip, I have seen first-hand what wild hogs do. They can go through an area and make it look like a plowed field. In addition, they can be simply dangerous. I just referred you to the Texas site as a more extensive source beyond my own experience. In my younger days I was around domestic pigs a lot. There is a reason their teeth are cut when young, rings put in their noses, and one does not mess with a sow with piglets or a boar. Put them in the wild and with feral pigs the reasons become compounded.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:13 pm