There are no registered toxins available for use on Feral Swine (Sus scrofa, Linnaeus) in the United States. HOGGONE® is a proprietary bait matrix under development in Australia that delivers toxic levels of sodium nitrite to feral swine. However, one challenge is to develop a species-specific oral delivery system to deliver toxins to feral swine in the USA while minimizing non-target wildlife exposure. The HOGHOPPER™ is a lightweight and portable bait delivery system that could overcome this problem. Our objective was to compare non-toxic HOGGONE removal by wildlife that visited HOGHOPPERS during acclimation periods (doors open; free-feeding stage) and activation periods (doors closed; simulated toxic stage) at sites throughout the United States. We conducted 38 HOGHOPPER trials on private and public land in Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas, and determined species-specific visitation and HOGGONE removal rates using motion-sensing digital camera systems.
