Partnership Effort Removes 111 Feral Hogs from the Mark Twain

The Mark Twain National Forest has replaced the hunting-based strategy under which hogs have multiplied with an interagency agreement with APHIS

In partnership with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), The Mark Twain National Forest has been able to trap (remove) 111 feral hogs from natioanl forest lands this year.

It is estimated there are approximately 10,000 feral hogs in the State of Missouri and according to Larry Furniss, Feral Hog Coordinator for the Forest Service, approximately 50% of these can be found in the Mark Twain National Forest.

The Feral Hog is a non-native invasive species that has adapted to the Missouri landscape, especially in the rugged terrain of the Ozarks. The goal of the Forest is to eradicate all feral hogs on national forest lands due to the fact that even in small numbers feral hogs are harmful. Their habit of rooting for food contributes to soil erosion and reduces plant diversity. They compete for food against native wildlife, such as deer, and they devour the eggs of ground-nesting birds such as quail and turkeys. They can transmit potentially devastating veterinary diseases, such as pseudorabies and brucellosis, as well as maladies that affect humans, including leptospirosis.

Through an interagency agreement with APHIS, a new removal strategy was employed, that of trapping the hogs. The new strategey replaced the hunting-based one under which the hogs had multiplied.