Residents of an Arkansas town were stunned to wake up one morning and discover feral hogs had destroyed their yards, and they fear more damage is yet to come.
What's happening?
In September, THV11 reported that Gurdon, Arkansas, residents are grappling with the appearance of feral hogs in their town, situated around 85 miles from Little Rock.
Jerry Hawley, one of the locals who awoke to find his yard torn up, told the CBS affiliate that the situation was unlike anything he'd seen during his time there.
"There have never been wild hogs in Gurdon, Arkansas. I've lived here 14 years, and I've spoken with residents who have been here their entire life, and they have never been here," Hawley said, going on to describe how the hogs create so much damage.
"What they do is their front leg has basically one knuckle. They bend that knuckle down, lay that on the ground … and that's when they use their snout to do all their devastation," he added. "Digging for grubs and roots and whatever they're looking for to feed on."
Why is this concerning?
According to THV11, locals are worried that more damage is on the way, with a local cemetery also caught in the hogs' path of destruction.
Hawley told the news station that clear-cutting (removing trees for agricultural or other commercial purposes) appears to have made it easier for the hogs to enter residents' yards, along with the dry weather and expanding population amid uncontrolled breeding.
In addition to being an expensive nuisance, feral hogs are a public health and safety threat, carrying around 45 bacteria, diseases, and parasites, as the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission explains. The hogs also outcompete beneficial native species for resources.
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Unfortunately, Gurdon isn't the only town struggling with feral hogs, which travel in packs of up to 30. In Texas, for example, hogs caused the temporary closure of a recreational complex, delaying a soccer tournament and causing around $150,000 in damages.
The Department of Agriculture estimates that the U.S. agricultural sector alone suffers around $2.5 billion in damages annually from the creatures.
What is being done about feral hogs?
Arkansas is working to protect its ecosystems and educate the public about how to deal with the invasive creatures, launching the Feral Hog Eradication Task Force.
Ryan Farney, the program's coordinator, told THV11 that the most important thing for people to do is reach out to the professionals tasked with managing the situation.
"The first call that we want people to make is to [the] USDA, and they will have somebody out as soon as possible to help set up a trap. Those services are free of charge," Farney explained. "If USDA is in a position where they can't come out in a timely manner, then sometimes, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will come and help those landowners as well."
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