Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period

… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11).

… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)

… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)

… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)

Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor pains, growing in intensity, frequency, size and duration.

US officials warn of danger of feral hogs heading across the border from Canada. Pestilence spreading across borders, in diverse places. Are Midwest US hog farms next? So far, our Iowa Pork Chops have been spared from African Swine Fever.

Rozina Sabur. The Telegraph•September 13, 2019

US officials have warned that feral hogs heading across the border from Canada may pose a danger to the local environment.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that sightings of the feral animals on the US-Canadian border have increased in recent years. 

At least eight of the wild animals have been sighted just north of Lincoln County, Montana, this summer, officials said. 

Several agencies, including Wildlife Services, the Montana Invasive Species Council, the National Feral Swine Program and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks department fear the wild pigs could cause significant damage to the landscape.

Officials warned the animals can often be aggressive, breed rapidly, and difficult to catch. 

The feral pigs pose a risk to the local agriculture industries as they often destroy farm land and crops as they root for food.

They also have the potential to spread diseases to domestic livestock, although no disease has been detected in the team in Canada.

Female hogs typically have more than a dozen piglets in each litter and full grown hogs can weigh anywhere between 120lb to 400lbs. 

Dale Nolte, from the USDA’s National Feral Swine Program, described the prospect as “a disaster”.

“Multiple people say that if we were to design an invasive species that would do the most widespread damage, feral swine aren’t too far off from being the perfect specimen,” he told local newspaper Daily Inter Lake.     

Ryan Brook, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan, blamed the southern migration of the feral pigs on poor monitoring systems in the province, which are allowing numbers – and the spread of the animals – to grow unchecked. 

“Saskatchewan is a very high functioning pig factory and the populations are exploding with very minimal efforts to control them,” he told the Daily Inter Lake. “Lack of serious action in Saskatchewan is the single greatest threat to Montana.”

Often referred to as “rototillers,” the animals are considered to be the worst kind of invasive species. On their quest to uproot food, they are capable of demolishing farm crops, forests, open fields, properties and even historic sites like monuments. In the U.S., they do an estimated $1.5 billion in crop damage every year.

Jeanine Neskey is an extension specialist with the USDA Wildlife Services in Colorado. She explains that the animals can impact livestock through predation, agitation, and spreading disease, calling them “one of the world’s most destructive invasive species.”

However, some experts feel that not enough is being done to prevent the spread of feral pigs, especially in the prairie provinces.

Ryan Brook, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources, calls the situation an “emerging crisis”. He tells Yahoo Canada that the potential spread of the pigs shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Wild pigs now occupy about 900,000 square kilometres of the country, and their populations are expanding at about 80,000 square kilometres per year. The animals are highly reproductive – with females producing large litters up to two times a year – and have low mortality rates.

“We’re seeing a very rapid expansion…although the large majority of that is in the three prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” he says.

He adds that while the wild pigs aren’t being spotted, it doesn’t mean they’re not there. The animal can be elusive, turning nocturnal if they sense danger.

In the U.S., wild pigs are known to roam the southern states, while the northern states are mostly free of the animals. But Brook says the concerns coming from Montana are real and justified, given the limited efforts in Canada to control the population.

“We’ve detected wild pigs very close to the U.S. border in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, certainly less than 20 km from the border,” he says. “Their capacity to move across international border is very, very real.”

Brook says to his knowledge, Alberta is the only province with a strategy and management plan to address the issue. He believes the only way to properly target the problem is to have a national and international strategy in place.

“We can’t pretend to talk about eradication or any kind of reasonable control of these unless there’s a strategy in place and collected efforts to achieve that,” he says. “It’s not unlike a forest fire. If it’s detected early and addressed aggressively, a small fire can be put out. But if a fire gets so large, it becomes out of control. That’s how wild pig populations work.”

The feral hogs can present all manner of complications for environments: they don’t belong, are exceptionally large, are often aggressive, can be difficult to track down and breed copiously. There is also the potential they may carry diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.

Ryan Brook, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, told the Daily Inter Lake that the hogs are also capable of covering significant distances. “There is a general denial that wild pigs are a critical issue,” he said.