Image: Dave Pape
It’s good to sound alarm bells, and sometimes it can yield results. Such is the case this week as Scimetrics, the company behind Kaput Feral Hog Bait announced it has withdrawn its request for registration in Texas. Kaput Feral Hog Bait is a low dose warfarin-based poison that causes death from internal bleeding. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s plans to use Kaput Feral Hog Bait to control Texas’ feral hog populations have been met with fierce opposition from hunters, ranchers, veterinarians, wildlife specialists, property owners, and environmental groups (like us). These stakeholders are concerned about:
The environmental impact of poisoned hogs, including the potential for the poison, warfarin, to hurt other wildlife
The potential for accidental human ingestion of contaminated meat
The disturbance to cattle ranchers, as cattle must be kept away from the bait, and the risk of accidental ingestion of the poison by cattle
Death from Kaput Feral Hog Bait can take 1-31 days, and a slow death by internal bleeding is not humane
On April 3, the Texas House Public Health Committee passed HB 3451, which would require any toxic pesticide used against feral hogs in Texas to undergo strict independent scientific study before it can be distributed throughout the state. HB 3451 was overwhelmingly passed by the Texas House on April 18 and has been referred to the Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs Committee.
The concern about this use of Kaput is not over, however. Scimetrics could refile for registration, especially if the Texas Legislature fails to pass legislation restricting Kaput’s use before the end of the session at the end of May. It is possible that short-sighted strategies to control feral hogs will come up again and we need to be vigilant in addressing them. Sign up for the Lone Star Chapter’s newsletter (see the side bar) and follow our blog to stay up to date on strategies to control feral hogs.