A HOG WILD STORY


America's got a $2.5 billion wild hog problem. These states see the worst of it.



What can grow five feet long, up to 400 pounds and is one of the most destructive invasive species in the U.S.?

Wild hogs are the correct answer! Wild hogs also called feral swine go by many names but are the same species as domesticated pigs found on farms.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year. 

Since their introduction to the U.S. in the 1500's, the feral swine population have expanded across more than three quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.

Which states are most impacted by wild hogs?

Florida, Georgia and Texas have the most feral hog reports in the U.S, according to data from the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

In 2023 alone, Texas had 2,425 feral hog spotting's, followed by 1,377 in Georgia.

(Feral swine in Republican states, nah, can't be coincidental, can it?)

The swine also carry at least 40 parasites, 30 bacterial and viral illnesses, and can infect humans, livestock and other animals with diseases like brucellosis and tuberculosis. 




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