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Feral hogs can transmit diseases to humans
Dangerous diseases transmitted by feral hogs in northwest Louisiana area are a potential threat to area residents, according to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries wildlife biologist Kate Hasapes.
Wild hogs can carry pseudorabies, brucellosis and leptospirosis, with the latter two diseases causing flu-like symptoms in humans.
“Leptospirosis is prevalent in northwest Louisiana and it’s something humans can catch,” Hasapes said. “It is evident in 80 percent of the hogs we’ve tested, although the animal may not show symptoms. ... But 12 percent of feral hogs are actively infected.”
Lest anyone in the Shreveport-Bossier City area think their contact with wild beasts isn’t on the horizon, consider the warning of Hasapes, who urges area residents to keep themselves and their pets safely away from wild hogs.
“We recently received calls in the Minden office that there were some feral hogs in the fields behind the Target on Airline Drive,” Hasapes said. “And we received a call from a homeowner in the neighborhood near the Red River National Wildlife Refuge that he had seen one. ... They’re definitely a big problem and a nuisance.”
Pseudorabies is a viral disease carried by 8.4 percent of pigs, with cows, goats, dogs, cats and raccoons also susceptible. It is shed in saliva and nasal secretions and can survive for several hours on humid days.
“And it can kill a dog in 24 hours,” Hasapes said.
Brucellosis can be transmitted to humans who eat undercooked meat infected with the disease. It can be passed from infected swine to cattle, which are prevalent in northwest Louisiana. Approximately 3.5 percent of tested feral hogs have brucellosis.
“If you kill a wild hog to eat, be sure to wear gloves when handling it and make sure to cook it thoroughly,” Hasapes said. “If you have an open wound, make sure you clean it well and don’t give scraps to your dog.”
And another caution.
“If you begin feeling ill within a couple of weeks of handling or eating a feral hog, be sure to let your doctor know so he can test for these diseases,” Hasapes said.