LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Department of Agriculture says feral hogs have been reported in all 75 counties across the state. And now thanks to a new online tool developed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission there is a way to track them and eradicate the pests.
“Measurement tool for agencies and private landowners to report hogs and report sightings of feral hogs to a centralized database and what that does is kind of gives everybody an idea of where hogs are,” J.P. Fairhead said.
The feral hog control survey is an easy online survey that just asks a few easy questions like where the hog was spotted and how many you saw. J.P. Fairhead is the feral hog program coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. He says this survey should give them monthly sightings and removals by county.
“It is our hope that as a task force that we can use this data to look at where some of the larger issues are and reallocate resources as we can to those areas to help those landowners address their damage concerns related to feral hogs,” he said.
It’s estimated feral hogs cause an estimated $19 million in damages to agriculture and natural resources in Arkansas every year. Rocky Lindsey is one of those farmers who has seen their devastation firsthand in Drew county. He raises cattle and needs to cut and bail his fields to feed his cattle.
“The rooting the hogs do have just destroyed parts of my field. Other parts they haven’t destroyed but I do, I don’t know, thousands of dollars of damage to my equipment in driving over that area every year,” he said.
Lindsey says the U.S. Department of Agriculture trapped nearly 100 on his property last year but there are still more out there.
“When we trap them, they are in very good condition, they are not struggling to survive, they are thriving. One of the problems we have besides the fact that they are very good at reproduction, very good at replenishing. When one is taken out it seems like four takes its place,” he said.