FERAL HOGS / VERTEBRATE PEST MANAGEMENT
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has designated feral hogs (Sus scrofa) as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species. (Lowe et al. 2000). Feral hogs continue to expand their distribution significantly throughout the U.S. since their documented introduction in the early 1500s, and they are now found in at least 35 states. Feral hogs are estimated to cause over $1.5 billion in economic losses annually due to spread of disease, cultivated crop damage, and control efforts. In addition, feral hogs are known to prey on wild and domestic fauna including small rodents, amphibians and reptiles, sea turtle eggs, and lambs.
With 30 years of vertebrate pest management and vector-borne disease research, Genesis Labs chooses to not standby while the feral hog epidemic continues to grow. We began working on a solution to the growing feral hog problem in 2000. Since then, Genesis has performed primary and secondary toxicological studies for feral hog baits, leading to the nations very first feral hog toxicant registered by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2017. At Genesis, we strive to provide sound data that can allow us, as biologists and land managers, to gain a better knowledge of the influences feral hogs have on the landscape, in addition to expanding our use of tools to control their populations.
Genesis researchers put a GPS collar on a feral hog to track movement