Syracuse.com - DEC: In feral swine war it's hard to tell who's winning -- us or the pigs

[HuntingNY-News]

The Conservationist article presents a positive spin on the DEC's efforts, but offers no estimate of the numbers of the animals, no mention of the dollars spent or specific areas that have been targeted (or are currently being targeted) for eradication efforts.

The recent issue of The Conservationist covered the issue of feral swine in this state. In the article, written by Eileen Stegmann, it notes efforts by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to get rid of wild boars in an undisclosed area. It presents a positive spin on the DEC's efforts, with no estimate of the numbers of the animals, no mention of dollars spent or specific areas that have been targeted (or are currently being targeted) for eradication efforts.

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The article mentions the Cortland area in one sentence, but offers little more about our area, in regard to estimates of numbers or the past history of efforts. The reality is the USDA, a federal agency, has led the charge this year locally, with little, if anything being done by the DEC.

Stegmann wrote:

"Despite battling this group of pigs in northern New York for a while, Ed says that upstate N.Y. is relatively lucky. At present, there are only a few established groups. Across the state, near Cortland, however, the USDA has been battling a number of pockets of feral swine since the first known group was discovered there about a decade ago. (Editor's note: That's all she wrote about our area.)

"Currently, these destructive animals have been documented in at least 38 counties, with breeding confirmed in six. And that's just the ones we know about­­-the numbers are always changing.

"The more I learn about feral swine, the more I realize just how important and difficult a task it is for DEC to control them. And just when biologists think they've gotten the problem under control, another group of pigs crops up. It's the ultimate game of cat and mouse; in this case, its hard to tell who's winning."

See the whole article and some neat photos, though once again, it doesn't tell where and when these photos were taken. I'd like to know.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog