The Alabama Clean Water Partnership is hosting a Feral Hog Workshop on Tues., Nov. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Andalusia at the USDA Agriculture Service Center Auditorium. This is in conjunction with the quarterly meeting of the Choctawhatchee-Pea & Yellow Rivers CWP and Conecuh-Sepulga & Blackwater Rivers CWP.

Unfortunately, these wild or feral hogs have become much more than just a nuisance; they are destructive, causing costly damage to crops, pastures, timber land, residential areas, and public lands. Their damage also leads to water quality issues as well as destruction to wildlife habitat. Data from 2014 show that these animals are causing more than $1.5 billion in damages in the United States and $800 million in Alabama, wild hogs are a growing problem across the country and the state.

According to Dana Johnson, a USDA wildlife specialist, a population of feral hogs can double every four months.

“They have an alarming reproductive rate. They can reproduce as young as four months, have a gestation period of four months, and give birth to as many as 12 piglets per litter. So if you begin with two males and two females, in the optimum environment – in three years you can have a population of 16,000 if left unchecked,” Johnson said.

Jaeger Pro, a professional feral hog eradication company, will present at the workshop. CEU credit is available.

For more information contact Janet S. Wofford at 334-488-4511 or Lisa N. Harris at 334-301-9603.

There is no charge to attend the workshop.