Pigs in the City: Feral Hogs in Urban Settings
Passport to Texas from Texas parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish adn Wildlife Restoration Program
Babe: Pig in the City is a cute movie, but when real feral pigs move into town, it is anything but charming.
Richard Heilbrun, a TPWD urban wildlife biologist, says San Antonio is one of many cities facing this problem.
San Antonio has two series of loops. And they’ll go inside Loop 1604 probably up to about Loop 410. So you could say about half way in. They’re not going to go into the heavily urban areas, but they will follow those creeks and rivers as far as they can go while finding food.
Feral hogs cost the state about fifty-three million dollars each year in damage. But a San Antonio city ordinance prohibits the trapping or killing of feral hogs on public property.
Now the hogs can be trapped on private property. But, once trapped, they cannot be killed within city limits because of the law prohibiting the discharge of firearms. And there’s currently no city wildlife service that can take care of the hogs.
But Mike Bodenchuk, state director of USDA Wildlife Services, says his department has been working with San Antonio officials to develop a plan.
I suspect that there will be an institutionalized program with Wildlife Services within a year or so. The demand for that program is growing. I think the city leaders have heard it and it’s just a matter of getting it done at the right levels.
That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…supports our program, and is funded by your purchase of fishing & hunting equipment and motorboat fuel…For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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