Here's Why the Internet Is Freaking out About Feral Hogs
By Gina VaynshteynUpdated
If you logged on today and noticed the entire internet is losing it over 30-50 feral hogs, you might have been confused. That's understandable! On a normal day, you probably don't think twice about feral hogs, let alone 30-50 of them. But there's a legit reason why everyone is freaking out over feral hogs, and it all started with a response to the tragic shooting that happened over the weekend (over a span of two days, more than 31 people were killed, and 53 injured in two separate mass shootings).
So...what's with the feral hogs and where did they come from?
On Aug. 4, Twitter user Jason Isbell wrote, "If you're on here arguing the definition of an 'assault weapon' today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don't need one." The tweet alone has over 41.8k hearts at the time of reporting.
If you’re on here arguing the definition of “assault weapon” today you are part of the problem. You know what an assault weapon is, and you know you don’t need one.
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 4, 2019
Someone named William McNabb responded by tweeting, "Legit question for rural Americans - How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?" According to William's Twitter, he describes himself as a "Husband/Father/Christian/Libertarian/Western Carolina University Alum/ & Fan of Pearl Jam & Red Sox." Not only is he fan of '90s alt rock and baseball, but he apparently has a feral hog problem.
Legit question for rural Americans - How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?
— William McNabb (@WillieMcNabb) August 4, 2019
The absurdity of William's response and his feral hog problem went, uh, hog wild. While we don't want to derail from the real issues at hand, it's also hard not to watch Twitter explode over one guy's weird tweet. And maybe, just maybe, it's a nice distraction from all the horror and sadness we've been experiencing. Here are some of the best feral hog tweets and memes:
my milkshake brings 30-50 feral hogs to the yard
— summertime vibes dante 🌹 (@videodante) August 5, 2019
🎶But *I* would shoot 30-50 feral hogs
— Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) August 5, 2019
And *I* would shoot 30-50 more
Just to *be* the man who shoots 60-100 feral hogs
Within 3-5 minutes🎶
feral hogs is the best meme to come from this presidency. i'll die on this hill. covfefe was just trump tweeting after his ambien has kicked in. 30-50 feral hogs is.... that's some mark twain shit. get louis theroux over there.
— Slendermommy (@molls) August 5, 2019
Feral hogs overtaking your children after they’ve been in the yard for 3-5 minutes.
— sam greisman (@SAMGREIS) August 5, 2019
pic.twitter.com/NOU2mR80Ry
“30-50 feral hogs” day is one of the great days in the history of Twitter. pic.twitter.com/RJTGrqXO8R
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) August 5, 2019
30-50 feral hogs? At this time of year? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your yard? pic.twitter.com/h1qtP2IFbq
— Lil' Kim Jong-un (@James__Nesbitt) August 5, 2019
— eric curtin (@dubstep4dads) August 5, 2019
Anyway, it doesn't just end there. Jason responded to William's tweet by saying, "If you have dozens of hogs chasing your children around your yard, you have problems no weapon will fix." And honestly, true.
If you have dozens of hogs chasing your children around your yard, you have problems no weapon will fix. https://t.co/5OmRjg8evw
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) August 4, 2019
Okay, but...are feral hogs actually dangerous?
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, "In a natural state, feral hogs will prefer to run and escape danger, and are not considered dangerous. Extreme caution should be maintained when tracking wounded animals, trapping animals or encountering females with young. Their razor sharp tusks combined with their lightning speed can cause serious injury."
So, no, they're not *super* dangerous, but also they're really, really fast, so it's best not to piss one (or 30-50) off.