Feral swine are considered the most prolific large mammals in the U.S. and cause more than $2.5 billion in ag damage each year.
Recent research out of USDA has pinpointed a more efficient system to trapping the dangerous and costly animal.
According to USDA Forest Service Researcher John Kilgo, “The smart traps allow the trapper to control when the trap closes because it’s got a cellular camera with the video feed or just sending pictures to let the trapper know which pigs are in the trap. So, if the trapper has identified composition of the sounder ahead of time through scouting, and knows that this sounder, for example, has eight pigs, let’s say, and what they look like when the trapper gets the picture of those eight pigs in the trap, then he can or she can manually send a command to close the trap door.”
While USDA did find success in the Smart Trap Program testing, it was not as efficient as they had hoped.
“Whole sounder trapping with the smart traps was more effective at reducing density than the traditional trap style. It was not quite as effective as we had hoped it would be. On average, those five areas that we trapped with smart traps, we reduced density about 53% compared to where it was before we started trapping. The traditional traps only reduced density about 30%.”
Kilgo also shared that APHIS and other agencies and organizations are doing more and more aerial gunning to control the dangerous animal’s population. He says that they have found it be more effective than previously thought even in forested conditions.
