Feral Hogs
Feral hogs have recently become a problem in middle Tennessee. Although these animals are not native to this area, it is believed that the hogs were brought in illegally for sport hunting. Although this move was ill advised, the wild hogs were trapped and brought into North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. If not controlled, the overpopulation of these animals will continue to cause extensive damage for residents. Wild hogs have continued to overpopulate areas and in an effort to find new land and areas of food sources, have continued to move west. These hogs are becoming a nuisance as far west as Wilson County in Tennessee. Feral hogs are hunted for sport in east Tennessee, as they have been for many years. With the illegal transportation to Tennessee, and migration east, the animals have become a nuisance quickly. A female pig can reproduce twice a year with a litter of up to eight piglets each time. This can add up quickly since there are not many predators of wild hogs. Pigs are highly adaptable to most areas and can tolerate a wide range of climates. Wild hogs also eat mostly plants but will also eat insects, worms, bird eggs, small birds, and reptiles.
Feral hogs reproduce rapidly, increasing their population dramatically and very quickly. The hogs not only cause damage to farms, they can also transmit diseases to livestock. Jason Garrett of the Overton County Cattleman’s Association says, “This is a serious threat to all of agriculture” (Garrett). If the wild hog population is not controlled, these animals can take a toll on farmland and also on revenues from crop and livestock production. Wild hogs can be an extreme nuisance to farmers. A total of $1.5 billion lost annually because of wild hog damage plus the potential crippling effects that disease transmission could have on the livestock industry. They can damage cropland in various ways: eating crops, trampling crops, rooting in the farmland and damaging the plants roots. “They just tear up
Feral hogs reproduce rapidly, increasing their population dramatically and very quickly. The hogs not only cause damage to farms, they can also transmit diseases to livestock. Jason Garrett of the Overton County Cattleman’s Association says, “This is a serious threat to all of agriculture” (Garrett). If the wild hog population is not controlled, these animals can take a toll on farmland and also on revenues from crop and livestock production. Wild hogs can be an extreme nuisance to farmers. A total of $1.5 billion lost annually because of wild hog damage plus the potential crippling effects that disease transmission could have on the livestock industry. They can damage cropland in various ways: eating crops, trampling crops, rooting in the farmland and damaging the plants roots. “They just tear up
Cited: “Controlling Wild Hogs.” Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Web. April 02, 2012. <http://tn.gov/twra/feralhog.html>. Garrett, Jason. Personal Interview. 1 April 2012. Geesling, Pete. Personal Interview. 1 April 2012. Paul, Freddie. Person Interview. 31 March 2012.