2020 sucks enough already, so let's just rip the band-aid off and get right to it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning us about the skyrocketing wild hog population, calling the problem a ticking "feral swine bomb."
There are about nine million feral hogs in the U.S., and each year they cause up to $2.5 billion in damage. What the Hell?! Dale Nolte, Manager of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program at the Department of Agriculture, told The Atlantic:
“To go from a thousand to two thousand, it’s not a big deal. But if you’ve got a million, it doesn’t take long to get to four [million], then eight million.”
Nolte said these hogs are a mix of domestic breeds and European wild boar, and have morphed into a "super-pig." These super-pigs are very intelligent, have a great sense of smell, and can have more than ten piglets in each litter.
They're also huge! Typical feral hogs can weigh anywhere around 75 to 250 pounds, but the super-pigs can weigh twice as much and be up to three feet high.
They wreak havoc on crops, carry bacteria and diseases, and have been known to attack people and pets. There are more than 1.5 million feral hogs in Texas, where the state spends about $4 million a year trying to combat the problem.
Beware the super-pigs! Read more at The Atlantic.