Nebraska is taking the battle to the hogs, according to this article in the Journal Star online edition.  In an effort to eradicate hogs from the state, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has hired aerial gunners to shoot the hogs from helicopters.  

This shooting took place in Harlan County.  Sam Wilson, the commission’s furbearer specialist commented to reporters:

“We believe we were successful in removing more than 90 percent of the pigs in the area,” Wilson said. “We are hopeful that this population can be completely eradicated and we will continue to cover the area looking for sign.”

Of course, the whole thing raises something that’s begun to trouble me a bit of late.

I’ve heard, and even said, many times over, that feral and wild hogs are a destructive, invasive species.  They don’t belong in any ecosystem in this country, so it stands to reason that they shouldn’t be allowed to proliferate.  Right?

But how much do we know, for sure, about their negative impact?  I mean, of course crop damage is documented and quantifiable.  Hard to argue with that.  And the potential risk to domestic stocks if there’s an outbreak of something like pseudorabies or brucellosis… well it’s not too hard to understand why the farmers are concerned. 

I’m starting to wonder though, if more research into the environmental impact of wild and feral hogs wouldn’t be real helpful right about now.  Do they displace native species, or do they fill a niche?  Some researchers, for example, have argued that wild hogs fill the niche vacated by the CA grizzly bears.  Some other folks have suggested that their “rototilling” behavior helps aerate and turn the soil.  And others have argued that they compete with native species like deer and turkeys, destroy ground nesting birds, and aggravate erosion by rooting the banks of waterways.

Anyway, I know some of this research has already been done, or is being done now; and I am also fully aware that the research will need to focus on local ecosystems as there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  I’d like to see more of this research before I lock in my opinion about further eradication efforts.  There’s a big part of me that believes there’s a possibility that wild hogs could be managed for sporting purposes in some areas… particularly in places where eradication efforts are too little, too late (like California and Texas). 

I dunno… but I’m starting to question a lot of “common wisdom” about wild hogs and hunting, lately.  Maybe I’m off on a lark all of a sudden, but it never hurts to ask the questions. 

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