New VDIF hearings on feral hogs added

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has added two more dates for their public discussions on feral hogs in Virginia, their impacts, and what other states are now doing to control them in August. They will be held:

Wise County
6:00-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 22
US Forest Service office
9416 Coeburn Mountain Road, Wise, VA 24293

Bland County
6:00-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 23nd
Bland County Public Library
697 Main Street, Bland, VA 24315

As previously reported, VDGIF is holding another public hearing:

Halifax County
6:30 p.m. Monday, August 20
Scottsburg Vol. Fire Dept.
For more information, contact VDGIF at 434-525-7522

Feral hogs (also called wild hogs) are classified as a nuisance species in Virginia. Any pig that is outside of the property of its owner and cannot be claimed by its owner will be classified as a feral hog. They are an extremely invasive animal and cause damage to habitat wherever they exist. Feral hogs have been found to destroy turkey, grouse, and quail nests. They can also prey on deer fawns, destroy sensitive wetland habitat, and compete with our native wildlife for food resources. Feral hogs carry numerous diseases that can affect wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. The transmission of swine brucellosis and pseudorabies is a major concern to the commercial swine industry domestic animals, and humans. The transmission of swine brucellosis and pseudorabies is a major concern to the commercial swine industry.

Got Feral Hogs? VDGIF Sets Public Discussions for August

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is holding public discussions on feral hogs in Virginia, their impacts, and what other states are now doing to control them in August. They will be held:

August 15, 6:30 PM
Germanna Community College,
Locust Grove Campus
For more information, contact VDGIF at 540-295-7590

August 20, 6:30 PM
Halifax County - Scottsburg Vol. Fire Dept.
For more information, contact VDGIF at 434-525-7522

A third meeting is planned in the Southwest region of the state. Date and location to be determined.

Feral hogs (also called wild hogs) are classified as a nuisance species in Virginia. Any pig that is outside of the property of its owner and cannot be claimed by its owner will be classified as a feral hog. They are an extremely invasive animal and cause damage to habitat wherever they exist. Feral hogs have been found to destroy turkey, grouse, and quail nests. They can also prey on deer fawns, destroy sensitive wetland habitat, and compete with our native wildlife for food resources. Feral hogs carry numerous diseases that can affect wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. The transmission of swine brucellosis and pseudorabies is a major concern to the commercial swine industry domestic animals, and humans. The transmission of swine brucellosis and pseudorabies is a major concern to the commercial swine industry.

Agricultural Depredation Order for Resident Canada Geese offered again in Virginia for 2012

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and the Wildlife Services Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working together to offer Virginia farmers an additional tool to manage problems caused by Resident Canada geese. This tool is an Agricultural Depredation Order.

The Agricultural Depredation Order was proposed in the Environmental Impact Statement on Resident Canada geese published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in September 2006.

The Agricultural Depredation Order was offered for the first time in Virginia in 2009. This Depredation Order authorizes landowners, operators, and tenants actively engaged in commercial agriculture to use certain lethal methods to control Resident Canada geese on lands that they personally control where geese are damaging agricultural crops.

The Agricultural Depredation Order is a bit different than the Nest and Egg Order in that it is administered by the state agencies and state authorization is required to conduct this control. There is no federal website registration or federal permit, but a state permit is required. The permit is free and agricultural producers can apply for the permit by calling the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, P.O. Box 130, Moseley, VA 23120 Phone: (804) 739-7739 FAX: (804) 739-7738. The authorization process will provide a quick turn-around for permits and should make the process more user friendly for landowners and managers.