Federal snipers kill dozens of feral swine along Colorado River wildlife refuge

Federal snipers firing from helicopters killed 70 feral swine along a Colorado River wildlife refuge covering 3,500 acres in western Arizona and southeastern California.

The eradication of the the nonnative pigs was completed in less than half of the two-week period forecast when the campaign began Feb. 20.

“For this operation to take only 3½ days shows the expert skill of USDA personnel,” Havasu National Wildlife Refuge Manager Richard Meyers said. “These swine live in areas of the refuge that have thick, dense vegetation that can be nearly impossible for a person to trudge through.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the swine are known to threaten public safety by carrying diseases and can destroy the refuge habitat. The agency said the USDA eradicated 100 feral swine during disease monitoring last year and that others were killed in wildfires in the two preceding years.