Anyone who’s been around feral animals and who have been paying attention has noticed we have a problem, and believe it or not, that means anyone who has just been paying attention, because we are all surrounded by feral animals whether we notice them or not.
Some are more damaging than others.
The most common locally, the feral cats that roam freely through the streets, neighborhood and parks of Great Bend, for example, do less damage than those that are currently being confronted in New York state, but they still spread disease, hard local wildlife and even present a health risk at our local zoo as they attack baby duck and geese and risk spreading feline disease.
Arguably, however, the local feral cats don’t cause the property damage that feral hogs do in several parts of the nation. They are currently being address in New York where they are becoming a concern, according to a recent Associated Press report.
“Wildlife officials in New York may ban captive boar hunts as they try to curb a growing feral hog population before it gets as bad as it is in Southern states, where roaming droves have devastated crops and wildlife habitat with their rooting, wallowing and voracious foraging.
“Feral swine are breeding in three counties in central New York, according to a federal study done last year with funding from New York’s Invasive Species Council. The wild population statewide is likely in the hundreds.
“That’s small compared with Texas, where biologists estimate the feral hog population at around 2 million, but any number is bad because they’re certain to multiply. Damage becomes more noticeable when the population reaches the thousands and the hogs stake out home territories rather than wandering widely.”
Having feral kittens to contend with is one thing. It’s not good, but it’s not nearly as threatening as feral piglets and feral sows and feral bores.
“Domestic” animals with do one of two things if they are dumped back into the wild. They will either die or they will turn feral. Those that are tough enough to survive will live to breed and create more tough, wily, feral pests.
New York would be wise to address their feral issue while they can. So would we all.
— Chuck Smith