New Feral Hog Bait Approved by EPA

Scientists, biologists, hunters, farmers, and home owners alike have been waiting years for the news you are about to read. Pretty much everyone other than hog doggers! As most of you know the feral hog situation in most of our country is beyond out of control. In fact, Louisiana hunters killed an estimated 350,000 of them last year. And that didn’t even make a dent. Feral pigs are responsible for the destruction of crops, native habitat and carry and number of diseases that can spread to both wildlife and humans a like. They reproduce at an alarming rate and have no natural predators.

Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain reports a possible solution has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to fight the feral pig problem.

“Its a bait”, says Strain, “to help eradicate the feral pig.”

The bait is made by a company out of Colorado called Kaput. It is fed to the feral pigs for three to six weeks using a specific type feeder that only a feral pig can get its head inside to feed on the bait.

But Strain cautions to “be sure and follow all label instructions” when using the bait.

While most of us may have been hoping for a hog specific poison that could be dispensed directly to the ground, this is not it. It will be every important to follow the specific directions and ONLY use in the approved feeder which eliminates the possibility of whitetails consuming the bait. While Kaput has not released the active ingredient in the bait it can be assumed to be the much tested Sodium nitrite; ironically a bacon preservative already consumed by humans. Sodium nitrite is far more toxic to pigs than people and is used in Australia and New Zealand to kill feral swine. Sodium nitrite, used as a salt to preserve meat, can keep red blood cells from grabbing oxygen in live animals. Unlike people and tested domestic animals, pigs make very low levels of an enzyme that counteracts the chemical. Swine that eat enough sodium nitrite at once show symptoms akin to carbon dioxide poisoning: They become uncoordinated, lose consciousness and die.

The feeder is being called the real hero here. The bait has been developed for a while but researchers have been unable to manipulate its ingredients to only affect swine.

More details on the availability of the feeder, and bait will be out soon. This is an exciting time for human residents of Louisiana. Not so much for our feral pig nemesis.

https://louisianabowhunter.com/new-f...proved-by-epa/