The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) feral hog strike team has tallied up elimination numbers for 2017.
According to the MDC, the year yielded a total of 6,567 feral hogs removed by MDC, partner agencies and private landowners. In 2016, 5,358 feral hogs were removed from the landscape.
Mark McLain, MDC’s feral hog elimination team leader, said it’s essential that the public understands why feral hogs must be eliminated. He said, this is a destructive, invasive species that doesn’t belong here. They out-compete native wildlife for habitat and food. For example, places with a lot of feral hogs will see their wild turkey and deer population diminish.
McLain said feral hogs present potential for diseases to spread to humans, pets and livestock.
McClain says feral hogs are not wildlife and are a serious threat to fish, forests and wildlife as well as agricultural resources. Economic loss estimates from 10 years ago in the U.S. were at greater than $1.5 billion in damage from feral hogs per year.
Feral hogs also are known to carry several diseases, which are a threat to Missouri agriculture and human health.