Louisiana’s Feral Hogs Pose Threat to Flood Levees
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.04.13
Safety officials in Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish are more than a little concerned with a population of feral pigs that seems determined to damage levees. A part of the blame lies with Hurricane Isaac, which swept through the area in 2012 and dumped the pigs near the levees. The pigs are not complaining; their new habitat is filled with the roots and grub that the animals love. Unfortunately, the swines’ attempt to uproot these delectable morsels are also destabilizing miles of levees that are vital to flood protection.
According to The Times-Picayune, officials are seeing damage to levees along Lake Cataouatche, Bayou Segnette State Park, and Jean Lafitte National Park. Attempts to repair damages were instantaneously reversed by the ravenous pigs.
“We made the repairs and literally, 24 hours later, they ripped up the repairs,” said West Bank levee authority’s regional director Giuseppe Miserendino. “We spent thousands of dollars repairing the levee, and 24 hours later, it was back in worse condition. So our game plan of just repairing as need be wasn’t going to work.”
The levee board is now working with the US Department of Agriculture to determine the best plan for removing the pig population. As an invasive species, hunting for pigs has few restrictions in Louisiana. The state has a long tradition of hog hunting, as feral hogs have been active in Louisiana since the earliest European settlements. Much of the regional culture and especially cuisine has been influenced by hog hunting.
Louisiana’s combination of wetlands and warm climate makes the state especially attractive to feral pigs, which occupy an ecological niche similar to nutria. Like nutria, the swine are incredibly destructive on both their habitats and farmland. Sugar cane and rice farmers in the state have the most to fear from the invasive pigs, and often trapping or hunting are the only effective deterrents. According to Louisiana State University researchers, feral swine also serve as vectors for diseases that are detrimental to native wildlife and can even impact small streams or rivers. The state responded to the increasing population with a number of new regulations to promote hunting, such as the expansion of night hunts and allowing the use of suppressors when harvesting nuisance animals.
