The St.Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Missouri state and federal officials killed more than 10,000 feral pigs in 2019 thanks to an aggressive trapping program.
That number is a record amount and shows a 12% increase compared to the year before.
Even after the successful trapping, it is unclear if there are any fewer swine in the state. Officials do not know an estimate of the total population for the species and describe what can be a treadmill-like battle. Progress can be negated by hog reproduction and by people who deliberately move and release the animals for commercial hunts.
The state reports sizable gains for the last five years after killing just over 3,600 hogs in 2015. Since 2015 the total has risen each year, with 10,495 hogs last year.