Texas has a problem with feral hogs. Pigs, originally imported by the Spanish, escaped from farms or allowed to roam freely by settlers, have now gone wild. This plague of swine causes considerable damage to property, including agricultural fields and domestic livestock. They breed quickly. Difficult to eradicate, invasive pigs cause headaches not only for farmers, but for state officials. Charged with controlling the feral hogs, Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller turned to a controversial remedy: warfarin. But is this really the best answer to an intractable problem?
Texas has a problem with feral hogs. Pigs, originally imported by the Spanish, escaped from farms or were allowed to roam freely by settlers, and have now gone wild. This plague of swine causes considerable damage to property, including agricultural fields and domestic livestock. They breed quickly. Difficult to eradicate, invasive pigs cause headaches not only for farmers, but for state officials. Charged with controlling the feral hogs, Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller turned to a controversial remedy: warfarin. But is this really the best answer to an intractable problem?
Superficially, warfarin, a pharmaceutical also known as Coumadin and which is used in small doses to prevent human blood clotting, appears ideal. Australia experimented with warfarin to combat invasive feral hogs, resulting in a 99% reduction of the porcine population in Sunny Corner State Forest in 1987. However, this method has its problems. First, it’s particularly cruel: pigs are especially susceptible to warfarin, which causes them to bleed to death, slowly and painfully. Second, other animals may find and consume warfarin-laced bait intended for hogs, with predictable results. Third, hunters oppose warfarin use, fearing for their families if they bring home the (poisoned) bacon. Residents may also worry about rotting pig carcasses and the toxins they leave behind. The Texas Commissioner’s office released a statement claiming that warfarin’s low solubility means little danger to the water supply. However, water soluble preparations of warfarin exist for use as rat poison.
What else can Texas do to control their feral hogs? There aren’t any easy answers, but then again, life isn’t easy. Other poisons may do the trick, such as sodium nitrate, which, perhaps ironically, also preserves cured meats like bacon. Another way to come to grips with feral hogs may lie in changing the way we think about them. People were responsible for bringing pigs into Texas, and, like many other cultural inheritances, people are now responsible for the fallout from the decisions made by their ancestors. Farming in the drier parts of Texas is a marginal endeavor. Perhaps the plethora of pigs will pound another nail in the agricultural coffin. Climate change is coming for the desert, and a depleted Ogallala Aquifer too, meaning that agriculture’s days are numbered anyway.
Thinking outside the usual industrial box may help, as well. In Permaculture, a movement devoted to working with nature rather than against it, the problem itself is the solution. Poisoning feral hogs works against nature. Shooting enough of them from helicopters gets expensive fast. Finding ways to use the pig population to our advantage turns a liability into an asset. While hunting and trapping wild hogs will never eliminate them, it helps solve at least two problems: too many pigs, and too many hungry people. Wild pigs produce healthy, low fat, delicious meat. Invasive species, such as feral hogs, find ways to take care of themselves (usually too well) with minimal human intervention. And Texas cuisine stands ready with mesquite and barbecue sauce. Ecologically speaking, wild pork should be the regional go-to staple protein. Pigs are smart and difficult to hunt, but that makes them job creators!
In the end, multiple varied approaches will probably be taken against the feral hogs of Texas. Cruel or not, poison seems a likely weapon for Texan property owners and farmers who can little afford pig depredation. However, using our brains to turn these swine into an asset may be the best way to adapt and overcome. Otherwise, what would separate us from the other fast-breeding, land-destroying, everything-eating, invasive mammals we’re complaining about?
Related: Dicamba Soy: The Problem is the Solution
Join the conversation!