Feral Pigs Destroying Crops & Wetlands In Louisiana

There are something like 10 million feral pigs in 38 states. 500,000 of them call Louisiana home. They're destroying farmers' crops and are even causing damage to the already weakened wetlands.

Vince Deshotel, St. Landry Parish County agent with the Louisiana State University AgCenter said via The Town Talk:

...one local rice farmer who recently lost 40 to 60 acres of his crop to wild hogs. Rice farmers are not alone. Deshotel said wild pigs are intelligent, difficult to control and have an appetite for just about anything. He said they have the ability to quickly wipe out fields of corn, soybeans, rice and just about any other crop along with farmers’ investments.

These things eat like we know pigs can do. Ed Mouton of the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says via Louisiana Radio Network:

"It looks like you've run a tiller or a plow through the wetlands. It's much deeper, rooting type of damage...It's not as extensive acreage-wise, but it can be as detrimental to some of those ecosystems."

And these things are omnivores, so they'll eat both plants and animals! Look for more details and perhaps changes in hunting and harvesting procedures in the near future.

Filed Under: feral hogs, local news, louisiana news, pigs

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