Feral hogs remain a major threat to agriculture and wildlife in southeastern Missouri, but the state is gaining ground. Jason Sumners, Missouri Conservation Department Director, told the Conservation Commission last Friday that the state and the federal USDA are making “significant” progress in the war against wild hogs.
“The use of drones and helicopters continues to be an extremely effective and efficient method of removing feral hogs from the landscape,” Sumners said. “Last year, the (state and federal) partnership removed just over 6,100 feral hogs.”
That total included shooting more than 2,700 feral hogs from aircraft.
“This year, USDA had a second helicopter equipped with forward-looking infrared FLIR camera(s) to assist with winter operations,” Sumners said. “This new technology also assisted with feral hog elimination efforts and made the removal efforts more successful.”
The number of wild hogs slaughtered this year won’t be released until next year.
The state of Missouri defines a feral hog as “any swine that is born, living, or has lived in the wild and the offspring of such swine.” They can be aggressive and have been known to attack people, though the greater risk is from infectious diseases carried by wild hogs. Anyone who sees one or more feral hogs is strongly advised not to shoot them, as that will cause them to scatter and make trapping them more difficult. Feral hog sightings should instead be reported to the Missouri Department of Conservation or to the USDA.
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