The Wild Hog Knows No Fear: True Stories of One of Ag’s Biggest Threats
“The wild hog is very possibly the most dangerous animal in the wild. And he knows no enemies and he knows no fear,” says Hank Berdine of the Mississippi Levee Board in a new video series, Feral Swine in America.
Listen to true stories from farmers and ranchers in a gut-wrenching new video series from USDA that chronicles the impact of feral swine damage on American livelihoods and ecosystems. Through personal accounts from farmers, ranchers, land managers, conservationists, and others who deal with feral swine damage, this series aims to show the heartache caused by one of the country’s most invasive enemies.
Berdine tells his story in Episode 1, describing the Mississippi levee system that protects the area from Memphis, Tenn., to Vicksburg, Miss.
“The integrity of the levee has to be such that during high water times, we do not have any weak spots in the levy, any areas where trucks have rutted the levy up and could cause erosion. When hogs come out of the woods and go rooting around, they’ll root up an area half as big as a football field in a couple of nights. It’s decimating the integrity of that levee,” Berdine explains. “We’ve got to go in after those hogs damage it and fix those areas because we cannot afford to go into a flood situation with these areas like that.”
“Lots of times when I get up in the morning and go out into the river or out in the woods, it absolutely just chokes me up to see what we have right here in this area and how the hogs are destroying a good bit of it,” he shares.
USDA estimates that feral swine cause more than $1.5 billion annually in damage and management costs nationwide. Berdine is concerned about what that means for the future of areas like the Mississippi Levee that he works so hard to protect.
Source: Episode 1, Feral Swine in America, YouTube
“Lots of times when I get up to go duck hunting in the winter time on a Sunday morning, folks say ‘you aren’t going to church?’” Berdine says. “I tell them, ‘I’m sitting in my church. I’m out here right now amongst all of God’s great glory and creation. In the woods is as good a church to me as going into a brick-and-mortar church.’”
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) partnered with MODOC Stories to create the video series and tell stories like Berdine’s.
“We wanted to highlight how diverse and widespread feral swine damage can be. So, we reached out to ordinary people in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas to share their personal stories,” explains Dr. Dale Nolte, National Manager of the APHIS National Feral Swine Damage Management Program.
To date, the series includes three short videos ranging in topics from feral swine damage to farms, ranches, and levee systems to archaeological sites, native wildlife, and natural resources. To view the free videos, visit APHIS’ Feral Swine in America YouTube site or click on the episode links below:
• Episode 1 - Mississippi
• Episode 2 - Oklahoma
• Episode 3 - Texas
Future episodes will focus on feral swine damage management and removal efforts and impacts to endangered species in California and Georgia.
The APHIS National Feral Swine Damage Management Program was established in 2014 with the overarching goal to protect agriculture and natural resources, property, animal health, and human health and safety by managing damage caused by feral swine in the United States and its territories. APHIS also collaborates with Canada and Mexico to support border activities and facilitate an informational exchange on feral swine disease monitoring and control activities.
Read more stories of wild pig encounters here:
Killing Hogzilla: Hunting A Monster Wild Pig
Monster-Sized Wild Pigs are on the Rise in Canada
Wild Pig Wars: Controversy Over Hunting, Trapping in Missouri
Texas Pork Producers Face Uphill Battle with Wild Pigs
Deadly Terrorist Threatens the Lone Star State’s Domestic Pig Herd
