Agriculture authorities in the US said wild pigs had become a tremendous problem in the country. The pigs evolved from wild boars introduced into the country and from domestic pig stock that had escaped into the wild. The animals were sighted in forty-seven states and prevalent in thirty-six states. Estimates put the current nationwide feral pig population anywhere from 5.5 million to 8 million today. Authorities who tracked their numbers revealed there were only 2 million of them in 1990. Texas has the brunt of the infestation with around 2.9 million pigs found in all of its counties except one.
Reuters reported that the pigs had become a threat. They damage property and wander into urban areas. They also put drivers in danger when they cross streets and get hit by vehicles.
Officials of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said President Obama would set aside USD 20 million for the 2014 budget for the national feral swine plan. The Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would be undertaking the pig purge. Dale Nolte, the USDA man in-charge of the plan to stop the feral pig plague told Reuters, "In states with emerging populations of feral swine, our goal is to eliminate them."
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