The U.S. Forest Service killed roughly 1,200 wild hogs on the grounds of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina during fiscal 2023, many of which were eaten by vultures, the site’s Citizens Advisory Board heard Monday.
During his presentation to the Savannah River Site advisory board, forest manager DeVela Clark, also outlined steps the Forest Service takes to curb wildfires, but it was wildlife, specifically feral hogs, which drew the most attention from board members.
Forest Service staff and contractors “removed” over 1,200 feral hogs during the 12-month period, Clark said. “That is kind of down from previous years.”
Asked what he meant by removal of the feral hogs, Clark replied “we euthanize them.”
After the hogs are killed, nature handles the cleanup, the Forest Service manager said. “We will put them out in certain locations, and then the vultures and things will come ….” Clark said, not finishing the sentence, but drawing much laughter. At another point, he was asked how much do vultures eat: “Quite a bit,” was the reply.
On the issue of wildfire mitigation, Clark said the Forest Service used controlled or “prescribed” fires on 23,000 acres of land with much brush and woody fuel during the past year. The Savannah River Site occasionally experiences lightning strikes that can spark wildfires.
The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages 170,000 acres of forested area located on DOE Savannah River Site between Aiken, S.C., and Augusta, Ga.
