Farmers Fight Feral Pigs

Farmers in Oklahoma are gaining a firsthand understanding of the phrase "hog wild."

According to a local news report, feral pigs have become a serious problem for farmers in the rural areas of the state. Sightings of these hogs began around five years ago, and now sources say that their numbers are growing. The population of feral pigs in the area is now reported to be in the hundreds. 

Dan Ripley of Ripley Farms is having particular trouble in disposing of the pigs, which cause severe damage to crops. Ripley says that of the many methods he has used to attempt to combat the growing numbers, among them hunting, trapping, and dogs, he has not found any to be widely effective.

The local wildlife department has even attempted to hunt the hogs aerially, shooting them from helicopters. Yet targeted containment methods like these are not working fast enough. Farmers say that the state government needs to enact large-scale measures to curb the spreading feral hog population.

The state house has passed a bill to allow farmers to attain a permit to hunt these hogs aerially on private land. The bill is slated to take effect on November 1st of this year.