Hog Havoc, a free mobile app developed by Tall Timbers, is now available

“Resilient,” “destructive,” and “expensive” are a few words that come to mind when referring to the feral swine (hog) populations within the Red Hills region. The notorious animals have been introduced (accidentally and intentionally) to North America on multiple occasions over time, and have since developed into the perfect invasive species. These opportunistic omnivores are equipped for rooting, quick reproduction, and disturbing native wildlife like wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and northern bobwhite. Their rooting behavior severely damages multiple ecosystems and agricultural crops, resulting in multimillion-dollar revenue losses annually. With populations having increased over the last 30 years, the Red Hills region now suffers from excessive damage caused by hogs. In response to such damage, property owners are looking for an easier way to pinpoint and mitigate feral hogs for quicker trapping efforts.

Hog Havoc, a free mobile app developed by Tall Timbers, is now available on all smartphone platforms, to allow the public to quickly provide wildlife managers with locations of feral hog populations. When you find live hogs or rooting on your property, you can mark each site with a GPS location in Hog Havoc, and also describe the habitat and estimated cost of any damage. The location of the site will be automatically and privately submitted to Tall Timbers biologists.

This information will help guide our current and future trapping throughout the region. Although our trapping project is limited to the Red Hills, documented hog signs can also be important for other areas. Please use the Hog Havoc app whenever you are, to help Tall Timbers track feral hog populations! The more data we collect, the greater ability we have to demonstrate the need for resources to help control this invasive species.

The Hog Havoc app can be accessed here: https://ttrsmaps.org/projects/hogs/.  To get the app on a mobile device, simply click on the link and add it to your home screen. All of your data is private and not accessible to the public.

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