David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, file
- Feral pigs cause billions of dollars in damage to properties and agriculture across the US.
- The US has struggled to control the feral pig population, which is between 6 and 9 million.
- The pigs are highly adaptable and intelligent, making them difficult to capture.
Across the US, hogs are damaging lawns, sprinkler systems, golf courses, and crops. The agricultural destruction alone is estimated at $2.5 billion a year.
Case in point, earlier this year, a video doorbell recorded footage of a pack of wild pigs rooting around a suburban lawn in San Antonio, Texas. It was the second time in a few weeks that hogs had ripped up grass in the neighborhood, according to KSAT , a local news station.
In addition to doing lots of property damage , the pigs also carry disease, breed quickly, are difficult to trap, and can be aggressive toward humans, feral pig expert Jack Mayer told Business Insider.