By Andi Anderson
The Ohio House passed House Bill 503 in June, aiming to prevent a significant population of feral swine in the state. The bill, approved by a vote of 89-0, now awaits review by the state senate’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Feral swine, also known as "razorbacks," are a hybrid nuisance animal capable of causing significant damage. Olivia Bennett, wildlife biologist and feral swine coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ohio, warns that these animals can produce about two litters every 15 months and have no natural predators, causing substantial damage to farms.
Their rooting behavior disrupts soil and vegetation, leading to erosion and loss of valuable agriculture.
House Bill 503 allows landowners to kill a feral hog without a license, requiring that the incident be reported to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) within 24 hours.
The bill mandates that the preservation and disposal of the animal's corpse follow specific rules. Additionally, it requires reporting any sightings of feral pigs to the ODNR within 24 hours.
The bill prohibits importing, transporting, or possessing any live boar or feral swine and outlaws hunting these animals, which has been linked to illegal importation for organized hunts. Violators could face a fifth-degree felony charge.
House Bill 503 also addresses garbage feeding to hogs, a practice that attracts and sustains feral pig populations.
The bill eliminates licenses that permit feeding swine garbage or treated garbage and prohibits bringing garbage-fed pigs into the state. The Department of Agriculture will enforce these rules.
Bennett emphasizes the importance of reporting feral pig sightings, as the USDA has specialized equipment to capture entire groups of hogs, preventing the scattering that occurs when only a few are killed.
“These animals become highly attuned to what works and doesn’t work for them, and they become better able to elude capture whenever they successfully escape,” she said.
Known as an invasive species, feral swine in Ohio descend from early wild boar mixed with domestic pigs and Eurasian boar. They can grow to be aggressive, 240-pound animals with razor-sharp tusks.
They have been spotted in eight Ohio counties: Adams, Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Scioto, and Vinton. Vigilant observation has kept their numbers in check, but the goal remains total eradication.
“We don’t want to be like Texas, where all they can do now is manage the damage,” Bennett said. “Here in Ohio, we can still hope for total eradication, and that’s something that will definitely prevent large-scale farm problems.”
House Bill 503 was introduced by Republican state Reps. Bob Peterson and Don Jones. Various state agricultural groups testified in support of the bill, and the Ohio Pork Council praised its passage through the state House.
Photo Credit: istock-srdjan-stepic
Categories: Ohio, Livestock, Hogs