Our Story

Like most good things, we developed the Pig Brig Trap System in the field due to necessity, trial and error, ingenuity, and dumb luck.

Trap Development

White Buffalo is our non-profit organization that started in 1995. We are Tony and Vickie DeNicola - wildlife ecologists passionate about conservation and applied science. Our team of wildlife biologists is often called upon to help with conservation projects around the world. Mainly, we focus on conflicts with overabundant or non-native deer, goats, pigs, and elk. Our projects usually entail removing every last animal (or many animals) from an island, a fenced area, a neighborhood, or a national park. These projects take quite a bit of work, and it's not the first 100 animals but the last ten that take the most time.

White Buffalo has conducted many impactful research and management projects worldwide, including projects on the Galapagos, the Channel Islands, and Point Reyes National Seashore.

The White Buffalo team developed the idea for the original Pig Brig Trap during a feral hog eradication project in a fenced area in Guam. Our biologists couldn’t place metal objects into the ground, or take any actions that disrupted the soil due to unexploded WWII ordnance. So, they began hanging nets from trees and using remotely triggered gates in an attempt to remove the feral pigs. Thanks to the rooting behavior of feral pigs, our team realized they more readily went under the net rather than through the metal gate. Since then, through trial and error, we’ve upgraded and modified the net to make it more effective. As a result, it's portable, quick to set up, and durable for loads of catches.

The Pig Brig Trap System Today

Field Engine Wildlife Research ("FEWR") was started in 2020 to bring the Pig Brig Trap System to market. FEWR handles manufacturing, fulfillment, marketing, sales, support, and service related to Pig Brig Traps. This relationship allows White Buffalo to focus on its conservation mission and FEWR to get more traps from the factory to the field. White Buffalo will continue to evolve the trap based on FEWR feedback, so we’re eager to hear what you think and if you like it as much as we do. We truly believe this team has built a better mousetrap (or "hog trap," as it were) for the world. We welcome your feedback, thoughts, add-ons, and issues.

Success stories are coming in from farmers, ranchers and landowners across the southeast. Our traps are now in Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and other locations around the world. We’re here to help you solve your hog problems – whether you’re on 30 acres and trap twice a year or you manage a large national park in South Africa.

That's our story, and now we'd love to hear yours - share@pigbrig.com.