Feral Pig article in the Eugene Weekly

[kirkcdl]

In case anyone subscribed to the Feral Pigs thread missed it,the current issue of the Eugene Weekly has an article on feral pigs in Oregon...

http://www.eugeneweekly.com/

Text of article is too long to post here,cut and save it while it's there...

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[jakk586]

here are some highlights:

Feral swine cause about $800 million a year in losses to U.S. agriculture with their rooting and eating. According to Sytsma's report, "Many of the top 40 Oregon crops are favorites of feral swine worldwide." In addition to grain and wheat, feral swine are fans of grass. If the wild hogs go rooting after Oregon's $500 million a year grass seed industry, the losses could be tremendous. Proponents of field burning say they light their grass seed fields on fire to get rid of pests, but it's doubtful barbecuing feral pigs in field burns would solve the hog problem.

And it's not just what they eat that's the problem; it's also what they carry. Feral pigs can transmit diseases to livestock and wildlife. They can carry pseudorabies, swine brucellosis and foot and mouth disease. They can transmit to humans a whole host of vile sounding illnesses: brucellosis, balantidiasis, leptospirosis, salmnellosis, toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, trichostrongylosis, tuberculosis, tularemia, anthrax, rabies and plague.

The 2006 E. coli spinach outbreak that sickened over 200 people and killed three was traced back to feral pigs in California. Sytsma says that had California gotten rid of the 1,000 or so feral pigs they had in the 1950s, the population would not have exploded to the more than 100,000 feral pigs the state has today

Most of the swine that have been spotted were found on private land. Given the nature of the pigs — an aggressive, land destroying, livestock-killing, disease-carrying invasive species — one might assume that landowners would welcome whole-hog eradication.

Not so, says Boatner of the ODFW. He says some landowners make money allowing hunters to stalk the elusive swine on their property. According to the website for Clover Creek Ranch, located near Madras, one of the areas ODFW lists as having a feral pig population, it will run you $800 to trophy hunt a 400 to 800 pound feral hog on the 2,200 acre ranch (and you'd better hope you shoot that hog at dawn because there's an extra $100 fee for skinning after dark). The ranch also offers watusi, yaks, "meat hogs" and a variety of sheep and goats at varying prices for you to shoot, stuff and hang on a wall.

Selling feral pig hunts "can be quite lucrative" says Boatner, making it difficult for state agencies to persuade hunters of the need to eradicate the hogs. ODFW and ODA aren't even sure how many feral swine are on private property. "They're really a tight-lipped community, and they're not letting people in," says Boatner. Pig hunters are even suspected of turning wild boars loose to add the feral pig population. Clover Creek Ranch did not return EW's calls before press time.

According to a 2007 pest risk assessment for feral pigs in Oregon, while pig hunts can bring thousands of dollars into a state's economy, the agricultural impacts alone would cost the state far more. The U.S. spends less than $1 million a year on controlling feral pigs but loses 800 times that in pig damages.

Despite the thousands that the pig problem could cost Oregonians, the Feral Swine Action Plan hasn't really been getting any action, says Sytsma. The plan calls for legislation to control the source of the swine, population assessment, eradication and monitoring to prevent the pigs from returning, but all these things cost money, and funding is in short supply.

The one thing that has happened is House Bill 2221, which was recently introduced to Oregon's Legislature by Gov. Ted Kulongoski on behalf of ODFW. The bill would make the sale or purchase of feral swine hunts illegal, with both fines and the loss of hunting licenses as punishment. It would also make it illegal for landowners to "knowingly" let feral swine roam their lands.

So what to do if you have a pig problem on your property or see a set of hog tusks flash by while you're out on a hike? Call (800) INVADERS, the Invasive Species Hotline. ODA's Huffman says hunters could still hunt the pigs under HB 2221; they just can't pay to hunt. The bill, he says, "takes away the incentive to harbor" a hog. He says, "There's lots of hunters on our lists willing and able to help at a moment's notice" and turn Oregon's potential pig predicament into spare ribs in the sky.

Also, a link to the entire story: <broken link removed>

if the feral swine populations start to rise, we need to get on the oha to start a legislative action. perhaps we can get a hog season here like in the south.

 

[kirkcdl]

There is already a hog season in Oregon,it runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31...

 

[Doc In UPlace]

As I asked before doan be talkin' about the former Missus Doc In UPlace. I miss the Sarge, I really do.

 

[kirkcdl]

:huh::huh::huh::huh::huh::huh:

 

[NWMoss]

:huh::huh::huh::huh::huh::huh:

I think it means feral pigs are overtaking the NW...

And they don't just mean the people dumping junk at our shooting sites!

 

[Doc In UPlace]

My mistake I thought the toipc was Feral Pigs and I mistook this to be a thread bashing my ex.

I see I was misinformed. Maybe it's the Valentines Day thing.