Hobbies And Interests
Wild Hogs
Introduced in North America 400 to 500 years ago by European explorers, feral swine, known as wild boar or wild hogs, live in the forests and swamps of the southeastern United States between Florida and Texas. While related to domestic swine, wild hogs look very different, with smaller ears and longer snouts, straight tails, tusks and long bristly hair. Several different species of wild boar roam the continent.
Dangers
Some wild hogs grow up to 40 inches at the shoulder. Males can weigh up to 450 pounds and females 370 pounds. Wild hogs have four tusks that continuously grow in their mouths until broken by use. These tusks, which the hog uses for defense, reach up to five inches in length. Because of the tusks and size of the animal, wild hogs pose considerable danger to humans. Hog catchers enable wild hogs to be snared, preventing the animal from charging or using its tusks on the handler.
Hog Catchers
With a snare that a handler tightens at the handle, hog catchers go around the neck of hogs, restraining them at a good distance away. Used for examining the animals, administering veterinary procedures, tagging ears, removing tusks or relocating wild hogs, hog catchers prevent the need to throw several ropes around the animal and enable a single person to restrain the hog.
Using Hog Catchers
Using hog catchers involves slipping the snare on the end of the metal rod around the animal's neck, and then tightening the snare using a handle on the metal rod. Hog catchers secure the animal while the rod keeps the hog away from the handler. Overtightening of the snare should be avoided to prevent throttling the animal. For larger animals, using more than one hog catcher and handler prevents the risk of being overpowered by the hog.