Could New Bait From LSU Be Answer To Louisiana Hog Problem?
In February of 2022, it was announced that LSU was working on a humane killer that would help the Bayou State in our ongoing war with feral hogs.
It was then that we learned from laforestry.com, that Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain, said, "more than 350,000 feral hogs are killed each year, 'and the population is still exploding.”
To that end, researchers at LSU have now announced they have developed a patent-pending bait that could bring this pig plague under control. In an article from the Louisiana Radio Network, we learn that LSU animal scientist and researcher Glenn Gentry says they have developed an effective poison bait; made of fish, potatoes and sodium nitrite; a chief ingredient in bacon.
According to Gentry, the sodium nitrite impedes the body’s ability to send oxygen to the organs, “and with the sodium nitrite, the pigs died typically in two and a half to three hours after they get a lethal dose.”
Gentry explains how the bait is administered at just the right time. “You receive a picture – similar as you would with a game camera – and if pigs are present, you can release the baits…and we’ve done pen trials where the pigs prefer our bait to whole shell corn.”
Don't Think You Can Run To The Feed Store And Get Some Yet!
We should be careful to not get the wagon ahead of the mule on this one though. It looks as though it will be will be a few years before the product is permitted for public use, but farmers are already excited about its potential.
And for those wishing for a total eradication of hogs, that's just not likely. Gentry explains, “We have been poisoning rats for over 50 years, but we still have rats, so eradication of pigs is not going to happen. We’re just going to have to learn how to manage their numbers.”