MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C.,None — Wild boars have been spotted at nature preserves around Mountain Island Lake, officials from the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department said.
The Mountain Island Educational State Forest, across the Catawba River, has reported many sightings.
•IMAGES: Wild Boars Spotted In Mecklenburg County Parks
The population of these animals is rapidly increasing in the southern United States, even though they are not native to the country. They are called wild boars, feral hogs, feral pigs, Eurasian wild boars, Russian wild boars or razorbacks.
The animals damage natural areas, crops and plants by rooting and wallowing. Nationally, they cause an estimated $60 million per year in damage to agricultural areas and lawns.
In many parts of the country, including North Carolina, they are legally hunted.
The department has directed staff to begin trapping the animals. Park and Recreation will also authorize a limited number of hunters, part of the deer population management program, to hunt boars on county property four days a year.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has given permission for the control measures.
Wild boars often weigh 100-200 pounds, although some are reported up to 600 pounds. They are very prolific in the wild. One adult boar can produce as many as a thousand offspring in five years.
Boars were first spotted and confirmed at a nature preserve in November. Remote cameras with motion detectors captured pictures of the animals.
WSOC
