- Twitter is currently awash with jokes about “30-50 feral hogs.”
- In the wake of the mass shootings in Ohio and Texas over the weekend, one father from Arkansas went viral after a tweet defending assault rifles.
- “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 tweeted on Sunday.
- The absurdity of the question struck a chord with the general public, who inundated Twitter with jokes and memes at McNabb’s expense.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
If you’ve been on Twitter in the last 24 hours, you might have noticed something.
Everyone is talking about “30-50 feral hogs,” mostly in relation to them attacking your small kids in the yard “within three to five minutes.”
This unusual discourse all started when Nashville musician Jason Isbell tweeted: “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.”
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
Isbell's tweet was posted in the wake of the two mass shootings that took place over the weekend in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
In response to Isbell's statement, Arkansas father William McNabb, who identifies as a libertarian, tweeted: "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?"
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
Maybe it was the specificity of the numbers in McNabb's tweet. Maybe it was the sheer size of the hog gang terrorizing him and his family. Maybe it was the assumption that all rural Americans regularly have to open fire on large groups of hogs invading their property. Maybe it was simply the phrase "feral hogs."
Whatever it was, McNabb's innocent query captured the imagination of the general public who flooded Twitter with jokes and memes about feral hogs.
Here are some of the best:
My kids: *trying to play in the yard for 5 mins*
30-50 feral hogs: pic.twitter.com/B2sUEyRZq4
— Lil' Kim Jong-un (@James__Nesbitt) August 5, 2019
sorry boss can’t come in. 30-50 feral hogs came running into my yard again. yeah. about 3-5 mins. where my children play. yeah. see you tomorrow
— beth mccoll (@imteddybless) August 5, 2019
30-50 FERAL HOGS IN YOUR AREA
CHAT NOW
— cool cud (@kamilumin) August 5, 2019
— eric curtin (@dubstep4dads) August 5, 2019
I am:
⚪️ Gay
⚪️ Straight
🔘 30-50 Feral HogsLooking for:
⚪️ Money
⚪️ Love
🔘 Small kids in a yard— dirk diggler (@TakeForGrantd) August 5, 2019
Me to the #feralhogs The feral hogs Killing the children in the yard pic.twitter.com/C62XUW3wx2
— Shan (@Levymealone_) August 6, 2019
Please help there’s 30-50 Pharrell hogs in my yard, they won’t stop singing Happy #feralhogs pic.twitter.com/qLtm266Yd1
— mags (@HerseyMaggie) August 6, 2019
HAVE YOU SEEN MY HOGS? 30 - 50 OF 'EM!#feralhogs pic.twitter.com/YYAmy5YBXo
— Gnom Icide (@GnomdePlume) August 5, 2019
While McNabb has provided some much-needed light relief in the wake of the tragedy, The Guardian notes that the abundance of feral hogs in some southern states is a real issue.
Evan Wood, an editor for Missouri Life magazine, told The Guardian: "They are actually a huge problem, both on private property and public lands. They live in groups (called sounders) of up to 60 hogs. They are very harmful for farmers because when they eat, they upturn the ground to get things out."
However, Wood added that using an assault rifle to tackle a sounder of hogs probably wouldn't get you very far: "If you go after them with a gun your chances of getting all of them at once are pretty much nil, even if there are only like 10 of them."
GQ spoke to Keith Stephens, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission who said that a sounder the size that McNabb described was very unlikely. "The typical size we see is usually less than 20," he said.
"If you're in Arkansas, the best way to handle this is to contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services or the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission."
While the hogs are a real concern, the consensus from the experts seems to be: Let the professionals deal with it.