The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership eliminated 10,495 feral hogs from Missouri in 2019, and will increase efforts in 2020 as multiple agencies work together to eliminate feral hogs from the state.
A news release says partnership members participating in on-the-ground trapping efforts include the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (USDA WS) and the L-A-D Foundation.
MDC says feral hogs are invasive, destructive pests that roam wild in certain areas of Missouri and other states. They’re aggressive animals known to prey on turkey poults, fawns, freshly seeded fields, fully mature crops, as well as other wildlife. They’re known to carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, dogs and domestic pigs such as swine brucellosis, pseudorabies and others.
Increased efforts include a workforce focused on feral hog elimination in key areas, including Mark Twain National Forest lands, beginning in late January. The Partnership has established a unified command incident command structure to manage the effort efficiently and effectively. This structure allows staff from across the Partnership organizations to work more efficiently together.
The Partnership’s mission is to eliminate feral hogs in Missouri by implementing the Statewide Strategic Plan for Feral Hog Elimination. This is a strategic incremental approach, clearing each watershed inhabited by feral hogs one at a time.
You can report feral hog sightings or damage, and learn more about feral hog elimination at www.mdc.mo.gov/feralhogs.