The 59 year old woman was going to work early in the morning when a the herd of hogs attacked and killed her on the short walk between her car and the front door.
Feral hog attacks are rare but highlight a growing problem: the destruction of the ecosystem by the invasive species. Their ability to eat anything and to reproduce rapidly combine to create massive disruption, causing over a billion dollars in damage annually.
The hunting of feral hogs is legal year-round in Texas, and a popular way to hunt involves shooting the animals with semiautomatic weapons from a helicopter. It’s believed that people are aiding the spread of the invasive species to create new hunting opportunities in both southern and northern states alike.
Massive animals have been killed. One has been over 800 pounds, and there are records of one over 1,000.
Pigs were originally brought over by European settlers but the current most threatening species are a cross between those pigs and Eurasian boars which were brought over a few decades ago.
Feral hogs are also susceptible to African swine fever, which has resulted in the culling of millions of domestic pigs worldwide. A legitimate fear is that the feral animals will contract the disease and spread it to American pig populations. It isn’t able to transmit to humans but could create serious problems for the domestic meat market.
An interesting story thread I would want to follow would be if these animals did contract the virus and created a pig-free market in the United States. Goodbye bacon, carnitas… as the most widely consumed meat in the world, a catastrophic pig disease could have far reaching consequences. Another less-known use of pigs is their ability to host human cells on their cell matrix, which leads to all sorts of transplantable organs and tissues.
The story would follow how the damage to the pig population affects the medical community, and the struggle of a surgeon who wants to help and resorts to murdering other animals/humans in an effort to save those who can’t afford the more expensive procedures. Think Robin Hood meets Dexter.
