Posted
5/17/2008 12:08:00 PM
by Douglas
This might sound like a good idea, to give birth control to feral hogs, but honestly, don't you think that giving them the pill will only encourage
sexual activity?But the answer may be coming from a lab at Texas A&M University, where a team of researchers is testing an oral contraceptive for the hogs and other pests. It may even become applicable for pets like cats and dogs.
Duane Kraemer, a professor of veterinary physiology and pharmacology who heads the team at Texas A&M, said ranchers and farmers who hear about his research want to know more, "but development of an oral contraceptive for an animal that people eat and is to be released into the environment is a complex issue, no question about it."
The contraceptive, called a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor and in development for about a year and a half, is now in a capsule form and has been fed to captive pigs at the university's research facility.
Why they're at it, can't they just give it to all incoming freshman at A&M, too? Sounds like that would solve a few problems, too.