Federal wildlife agencies are conducting an intensive aerial culling operation to eradicate invasive wild pigs from Tennessee and Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Using helicopters equipped with infrared technology, teams are targeting feral swine populations that cause more than $3.4 billion in annual damages across the U.S.

The 2025 culling season removed over 1,400 feral swine, nearly double the previous year's count. This year's operation, which began January 12th, combines aerial infrared surveillance with ground teams using bait trapping. The winter timing maximizes effectiveness when foliage is minimal, providing optimal visibility for locating the animals.

Wildlife experts emphasize that complete eradication—not just population control—is essential due to the pigs' extensive ecological and economic damage. The animals destroy forests, contaminate water sources, and threaten cultural sites including cemeteries where they root up to three feet deep. They also carry diseases transmissible to humans, livestock, and pets. Unlike hunting, which scatters populations and drives nocturnal behavior, systematic culling remains the only proven method for eliminating these invasive domestic animals that escaped and reproduced in the wild.