Federal help is on the way to Alabama to combat a growing invasion of feral hogs.
Wildlife experts said feral hogs can do extensive damage to property and the environment, including attacking people and animals if provoked.
Biologist JJ McCool told NBC 15 News that federal help is needed, but will not quickly fix the problem.
“We’re not at the eradication point. You can probably throw eradication out the window. We’re at the management point.”
The US Department of Agriculture is setting aside more than $3.5 million to combat the feral hog population in Alabama.
“Their reproductive rate is incredible. They don’t have enough natural predators. So they’re pretty well unchecked in any ecosystem they invade,” said Michael Niemeyer with Wildlife Solutions.
The program provided by the USDA will make full-time technicians available to landowners to help remove the feral hogs.
The program is projected to last for three years, but McCool thinks it will take several more to fix the problem.