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How Can Texas Solve Its Wild Hog Problem?

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Flickr Creative Commons

Earlier this year, Texas Agriculture Secretary Sid Miller unveiled a wide-reaching plan to deal with the feral hog problem in the Lone Star State. He called the scheme the “hog apocalypse,” and the plan involved scattering the state with deadly hog poison.

But the plan was scuttled when nature advocates expressed concerns about the effects the poison would have on the food chain. In the meantime, rural Texas continue to battle the hog hordes.

Here’s what you need to know about the hogs: courtesy of The Dallas Morning-News.Feral hogs can have two litters per year of up to eight piglets. To stem the tide, Texans would have to eliminate almost 70 percent of the yearly pig births. Currently, Texans are only removing about 30 percent. The hogs are mostly nocturnal, and tend to seek cover near water.

Options for removal include traps, guns, and professional hog removal services.