Haven’t really done a Porcine Press in a while, but the hog news has been going on without me.  Hope ya’ll didn’t miss it too much.  So here’s a couple of stories off my RSS feeds…  keep up now, OK?

First to the Garden State.  Hunters in New Jersey were informed this year that the season was open for feral hogs in several hunting areas throughout the regular deer season.  Hogs can be taken with any weapon legal for deer in the open areas.  In a recent newscast on Atlantic City’s WMGM TV 40, USDA Wildlife Biologist Chris Boggs explains why the season was opened, and why hunters are being asked to kill the wild swine.

“These are classified in New Jersey as an exotic, dangerous animal.” Feral pigs that are roaming the woods of South Jersey have been known to cause a lot of problems, so many that they’re considered one of the most destructive invasive species on the planet. “When they look for food, a lot of times they just root around in the dirt and when they do that, it’s basically like you took a rotor tiller to the soil,” said Chris Boggs, a wildlife biologist with the USDA, “the estimates go that each hog, itself, can inflict $200 worth of damage.” And that’s every year.

The broadcast goes on to explain that the hogs are a threat to more than just farm crops and golf courses, and to explain why hunters were invited to be part of the solution.

Wildlife biologists have been busy trapping the wild hogs so they can test for disease and learn more about the pesky pigs in an attempt to keep the problem under control. “Most other states that have feral hog problems, it’s such a widespread problem that it’s almost beyond control at this point,” said Boggs.

That’s why the state has enlisted the help of local hunters. “In New Jersey, hunters are one of the biggest people, biggest groups, that can help conserve natural resources,” said Boggs, “so I think getting them involved is a big plus.”

Anyway, if you’re in New Jersey and planning to head out for deer this winter, check the latest regs to see if you’re hunting in one of the areas where the pigs are now on the target list.  Do the environment a favor, and fill your freezer with some great game meat. 

Let’s jump across the ocean to Germany now, where the wild boar population has apparently discovered the pleasures of living in the urban environment.  Even in Berlin, the creatures have made themselves at home, even going so far as to break into houses and businesses.  While local law enforcement and residents have largely come together to either drive the hogs out, or eradicate them, this article in the Wall St Journal suggests that some folks want to welcome the invaders. 

But you have to wonder about the wide-eyed wonder of the little nature lovers who see things a little differently.

Gabriele Klose simply couldn’t let the hunter kill the wild boar running around her flower store. Not after it looked up at her with big, innocent eyes.

I’ve looked into the eyes of a lot of wild hogs, and I can’t say that “big” or “innocent” have ever been words that occurred to me.   Apparently little big-eyes isn’t the worst of the hog lovers.

The swine are an obstacle on Berlin’s streets, where 211 have died in traffic accidents in the past eight months. But despite the porcine problem, part of Berlin’s human population is siding with the boars against those who shoot them. Urban hunters have been beaten with sticks, called “murderers” and had their tires slashed. Mr. Eggert once had to call for police protection when a crowd of young partygoers, enraged after he shot a boar that had been wounded by a car, threatened to beat him up.

What a world, huh?  Some folks may think, “only in California,” but this is half a globe away! 

Speaking of globes, let’s give it one more spin to Japan.  In this UPI article, a wild boar apparently went on a rampage in the Japanese town of Iwade, and attacked four people!  Boy, it sounds like something right out of a 1950s horror movie! 

Police says hunters shot and killed a wild boar after it attacked four people in a residential area of Iwade, Japan.

 

The four, who suffered cuts and bruises but were not seriously injured, included a 14-year-old boy who was knocked off his bike and his 11-year-old brother, who was bit on the hand, Kyodo news agency reported Monday.

The boar also rammed a 15-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man before hunters killed it.

One has to wonder… how much longer before we start to hear about rampaging wild hogs in NYNY, San Francisco, or Detroit? 

So there’s your Porcine Press for the day… and maybe for a while.

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