Seeing wild pigs in Kentucky? Here’s why officials want you to report it

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — Leaders with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KYFWR) are asking residents of Floyd County and surrounding areas to keep their eyes peeled for wild pigs and to report any sightings.

“Wild pigs displace game species like deer and turkey, negatively affecting hunter harvest,” the department wrote in a news release on Friday, May 30. “They also destroy crops and food plots, and they consume an ample amount of acorns in the fall, which many wildlife species heavily rely on as a food source.”

KYFWR said a group of wild pigs had been found and reported back in April, and officials want help capturing them, which also protects the pigs from being poached.

If I find wild pigs, how can I catch them?

KYFWR said free trapping services are available to anyone with a wild pig presence on their property.

Wild pigs have been a problem in Kentucky ever since misguided hunters reportedly released them in groups in an attempt to create more hunting opportunities.

Anyone with information about wild pig sightings, damage to property, forest crops, or illegal release is encouraged to submit a report online at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website or by contacting Terri Brunjes, wild pig biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, at (502) 892-4548.