Looks like these pigs didn’t replace their divots…
The wild hog problem in America is one of biggest wildlife issues plaguing agriculture and land development today.
According to the USDA, over 6 million wild hogs live in 35 states and their range and population continues to grow each year.
We went into lots of detail here on the problems caused and total damages done (estimated to be $3 billion annually), but if you need an example of just what the destruction these creatures cause looks like, this video from an Arizona golf course will do just that.
Taken by Em Casey, the assistant superintendent at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, it shows huge swatches of the course absolutely torn apart by a herd of javelinas.
Note: Javelinas are not actually boar. According to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, they are a peccary, which is a “New World” animal while boars are “Old World” animals and classified as a suid, or swine. They are still part of the property destruction problem facing America, so we’ll refer to them in the same category as the more prevalent wild hogs.
This damage was mostly all done in one night and it’s believed they were looking for earthworms or grubs under the surface.
“Come along with me on my carnage (I mean course) check this morning. What should be one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country is being destroyed by herds of javelina. If anyone has a contact in AZ state govt that can help us find a solution please pass it along.”
According to some follow up posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), Casey let us know they have 4 or 5 herds of javelina in the surrounding area with a total population of 100-150. They are protected by the state, so hunting them is not allowed, but they have reached out to the Arizona Game & Fish Department to set up traps to stop this from happening again.
There you have it, visual of exactly the type and amount of damage these guys are capable of doing when they get hungry.
Who knows how to handle this situation, because the current controls are completely ineffective at scale.
Hey, at least it gives a lot of hunting opportunities for those who want to take it.
