More than 1,800 feral pigs were removed from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources worked with the USDA’s APHIS Wildlife Services on aerial wild pig removal operations in March.

Pigs were located with thermal imaging from helicopters and then shot. Officials believe the efforts have resulted in a 90-percent reduction of the feral pig population at the LBL. About two-thirds of the March aerial program was done in the Tennessee portion of the popular public area.

Officials focused primarily on female pigs, which travel in groups. These were easier to locate than solitary pigs, which typically are boars. Sows will stay together and keep their young with them until the latter are old enough to disperse. The joint effort at LBL is aimed at removing the pigs and improving habitat for other wildlife species, along with a reduction in damage to property.