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Biologists Battle ‘Ecological Train Wreck’ Of Feral Pigs
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Wildlife biologists are fighting what they call the “ecological train wreck” of wild pigs running amok in Ohio fields and forests.
Biologists Steve Blatt and Patrick Mercer say it’s easy to spot the signs that pigs are roaming the Wayne National Forest. Those include mud holes dug for wallowing and swaths of soil rooted so deeply that it looks like a rototiller came through.
Officials say the non-native, invasive species members are nuisance animals that hurt native wildlife and the environment, trample crop fields and carry disease.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the pigs are so unwanted that federal and state wildlife officials are working to completely eradicate them in Ohio and the rest of the country.
Officials encourage the hunting of feral swine, which is permitted year-round without limits.