28 may 2017 - telegraph.co.uk - James Rothwell
Hunters in Texas could soon be allowed to shoot wild boar from the skies using hot air balloons in a bid

to stop the rampant animals uprooting lawns and destroying grave stones.
Furious Texans say the beasts cause up to $50 million (L39m) in damages each year and have been at their wits' end since attempts to control the population with poison failed.  
“We’ve got a problem here and we are willing to fix it ourselves,” state representative Mark Keogh told the Texas Observer.
"We have that Western, swashbuckling, cowboying type of way to deal with things.
“It’s part of the culture, it’s different than any other state.”
The proposals were approved by the senate last Wednesday and must now be signed off by state governor Greg Abbott.
It is already legal to shot wild boars while riding helicopters in Texas, provided the hunter has a license, but officials have long been searching for a more stealthy alternative.
Hot air balloons, which make far less noise than helicopters, would allow them to sneak up on the state's estimated two million wild boar.
They are also more stable, allowing hunters to carefully line up their shots instead of struggling to hold their aim in a noisy and shaky helicopter.
Mr Keogh said that using helicopters to stalk prey "had a lot of safety issues," and hoped this new approach would outwit the "smart" animals.
"I haven’t found people anywhere doing this...it's far safer than if you were hunting out of a helicopter," he added.
It marks the second time this year that officials in Texas have sought a novel approach to what they call the "hog apocalypse."
In February, the state announced plans to poison the animals with warfarin, which causes a slow and painful death when consumed by livestock.
There was an immediate backlash from animal rights groups, who condemned the plans as cruel.
“It’s not a joke anymore,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who proposed the new law.  “It’s not just an agricultural problem.
"Now they are uprooting tombstones in cemeteries; they are damaging golf courses, city parks and suburban lawns.”