Feral Pig Drinks 18 Beers, Goes on Rampage
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.23.13
Feral pigs are not some of the most well-behaved animals, but Australian officials are on the hunt for one animal after its beer-fueled antics have placed campsites on alert. According to ABC News, campers on the DeGrey River rest area near Port Hedland in western Australia woke up to a rude surprise when they found the animal raiding their beer supply earlier this month.
“It was in the middle of the night and it was these people camping opposite us and they heard this crunching of the can and they got their torch out and shone it on the pig and there he was crunching away at their cans,” said one camper.
The hog bit straight through the cans—18 total—to get at the alcohol within. It was attracted to the area by the large number of trash cans near the road, which were also found to be destroyed and ransacked by the unruly boar. Campers tell authorities that the pig then went on to raid trash and supplies on the campsite before getting into an altercation with a cow. After making circles around the campers’ cars, the intoxicated pig was then promptly chased off the campsite and found unconscious under a log.
Local officials say they are attempting to locate the animal but are placing more emphasis on reminding campers to properly secure anything that might be of interest to feral pigs—including beer.
Feral pigs are a persistent problem in Australia. A government document released in 2011 pegged the nation’s wild feral pig population at around 23.5 million. If this is true, swine would outnumber the human population of Australia—23 million—by a hair. Pig hunting is a popular sport in Australia and can be pursued in roughly half of the country. Feral pigs live near human settlements and are rarely documented in the large, arid, and oftentimes dangerous area of Australia known as the Outback. It is believed that predators such as dingoes keep the pigs at bay.
For comparison, it is estimated that over five million feral pigs exist in the United States.
