Friday, February 4, 2011

Get the Hog Outta Texas

In Texas, more than 2 million feral hogs cause an estimated $400 million in damages each year. This problem extends beyond rural areas and into urban locations where damage is being done to yards, parks, automobiles and other property. The problem is so widespread, in fact, that I declared October 2010 “Hog Out Month” and challenged 254 Texas counties to “Get the Hog Outta Texas!” through various eradication initiatives.

More recently, the Dallas area stepped up its hog eradication efforts as the cities of Irving, Fort Worth and Arlington have had enough of the hogs gone wild in their neighborhoods. Residents and animal control teams have invested a lot of hard work to try and remedy the situation, but the hogs reproduce at staggering rates. Fortunately, we have people striving for better answers.

Texas Wildlife Services State Director Mike Bodenchuk has probably sat through more meetings on how to battle feral hogs than anyone in Texas. He has partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture over the last several years and is certainly Texas’ resident expert on this issue.

A report from Dallas news station WFAA details how much closer we are to a workable solution that may one day transfer control from the hoof of the hog back to the hands of the people. To view the video, go here.

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