Wild Hogs Disrupt Soil, Fireflies, Visitor Area in Congaree National Park —South Carolina

In South Carolina's Congaree National Park, wild hogs are spreading their rage, causing damage to the soil and fireflies while also endangering the area's visitors.

Wild Hogs All Over US

Since the Spanish released wild hogs there in the 1500s, South Carolina's coast has been home to these animals. Their historical distribution was confined to the floodplains of significant river systems.

Early in the 1990s, Eurasian wild hogs were introduced to the state's highlands.

Only 26 counties had wild pigs in the 1980s, and the distribution typically matched that of their historical range.

According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, wild pigs had been discovered by 2008 in all 46 counties, including tiny, dispersed populations in Piedmont that were associated with recent human translocations.

The wild animals have been digging in soft dirt in Congaree National Park, which the wild hogs enjoy.

Now, rangers want to stop the wild hogs before they approach park visitors too closely.

No More Fireflies

Hog damage has been observed over the past few weeks, according to park guards like Jon Manchester. To address this issue, the park is now working with the USDA.

Manchester promises to procure as many hogs as possible.

Some of the most recent damage occurred only a stairway away from the visitor center as the hogs slowly started to make their way toward the front of the park.

These enormous creatures may be having an adverse effect on the Congaree National Park's firefly population in addition to digging up the ground.

Manchester clarified that because the firefly larvae live in the soil, they are concerned about the hogs poking around there.

He continued to say that a big concern is the wild hogs killing all the firefly larvae on the soil. There is a chance that there won't be any more fireflies as a result of their impact if they do enough harm over a few years.

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Scary Wild Hogs

Madison Tankersly, an 18-year-old hog hunter, claims that not only may these wild animals be dangerous to other species, but also to people.

The wild hogs, according to Tankersly, are frightening and not like your typical pink pig that is all cuddly and sweet. The males of the boars have tusks, and when they have young, the females become quite hostile.

The park will start managing the hogs on the nights of May 17 through May 18, and they will do it again on the nights of May 25 through May 26.

The park rangers guarantee that this year's synchronized firefly event won't be affected by feral hog management, News19 reported.

2023 Fireflies Viewing Event

Only three of the more than 2,000 species of synchronous fireflies that exist worldwide are found in North America.

Every year, between the middle of May and the middle of June, Congaree National Park is home to synchronous fireflies for roughly two weeks.

Visitors can witness a breathtaking show of synchronous flashing during this time as the fireflies look for a partner. This rare and uncommon phenomenon is extremely popular among park visitors, the National Park Service reported.