Michigan's Canned Hunt Ranches Fight to Keep Exotic Swine Legal

The feral swine problem in Michigan has gotten so out of control that the state wants to declare the animals an invasive species in the hopes of stopping the damage that the exploding population of pigs can cause to the ecosystem and farms. Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment is so anxious to get rid of them that hunting feral swine is allowed 365 days a year.

These animals originated from game ranches, where they were imported for hunters to shoot in fenced-in areas. With these massive swine, escape from the fences is not a matter of if, but when. As a result of these escapes, feral swine have been confirmed in at least 69 of Michigan's 83 counties.

An invasive species designation would prevent any ownership of Eurasian boars and razorbacks that are imported or bred locally for use as trophy hunts at canned hunt ranches. No stranger to hunting controversy, Ted Nugent is a very vocal supporter of the canned hunt industry. As an owner of one of these businesses, he wants to preserve the lucrative trophy swine hunt opportunity.

Nugent is quickly becoming known for his recent statement on the issue when visiting the State Capitol: "People have lost their minds in Michigan. If there are 7,000 pigs running around Michigan, I'm a gay banjo player in a hee-haw band." The Nuge is lobbying for regulation instead of a ban.

Proposed laws have been introduced in both the House and the Senate. They include a number of bills that are packaged together as the “Sport Swine Marketing Act” to transfer regulatory authority from MDNRE, which oversees every other wildlife species eligible for hunting, to the Department of Agriculture, where the regulations for breeding and hunting facilities would be much more lenient. (Punishment for violating regulations would include warnings or $300 fines.)

Not only do environmental groups prefer a total ban of swine over regulation, many in the agricultural community want these exotic swine declared illegal as well. Dennis de Young, President of the Michigan Pork Producers Association, equates feral swine to the potential Asian carp invasion in the Great Lakes. Government agencies are not willing to regulate the exotic fish; the risks are too high. Instead, there is considerable effort to keep the fish out of the lakes altogether.

De Young believes banning is the only way to confront the feral swine problem, too. “The Legislature's proposal will effectively make it easier and more lucrative for hunt clubs to import an invasive species into Michigan that endangers our entire agriculture industry,” he told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Exotic swine ownership could easily have been made illegal back in September, but Michigan decided to delay the law until July 2011 to give the canned hunt ranches an opportunity to set up their own regulations.

With the deadline looming, the canned hunt industry is scrambling to pass laws that will allow them to continue business as usual. Unfortunately, “business as usual” is what led to thousands of escaped swine wreaking havoc throughout the state. But if they fail to pass these new laws by July, the ban will go into effect, keeping wildlife policy out of the hands of special interests.

July will be here before we know it. Tell Michigan that you don’t agree with allowing canned hunt ranches to dictate wildlife policy.

Photo Credit: Nicholas R Horne