Feral Hogs Presence Growing In North Texas – CBS Dallas / Fort Worth
CEDAR HILL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Wild boars appear to have run their course on North Texas and in search of nutrient-rich larvae, it’s no surprise that they act like pigs.
“They chew up the grass, they tear up the landscaping, and again they pose a hazard with cars,” says Jack McFadden of Cedar Hill. “At least we had the first reported accident in which we met three wild boars here on the Lake Ridge Parkway.”
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The crash, McFadden says, is a warning to motorists that the destructive animals aren’t confined to backyards. And since there are no natural enemies, experts say their numbers are exploding across North Texas, and that is causing trouble.
“The Trinity River runs right through the heart – between South Dallas and North Tarrant Counties and that’s a pig highway,” explains Adam Henry, a USDA Urban Wildlife
Claims management biologist. “We have 2-6 million pigs all over the state of Texas, depending on which expert you speak to, so we’re not going to get rid of the pigs anytime soon.”
So the next best thing, says Henry, is to deny the boars access to the simple meals found on maggot-filled, overwatered lawns.
“So active maggot control on their farms to reduce the water,” advises Henry. “If we can deny this simple source of food, they can go elsewhere and find food in another place that is easier.”
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Wild boars are so despised in Texas that they can be hunted around the clock without a license. But. You cannot hunt with a firearm within city limits, leaving homeowners less options: many are turning to catching instead.
“We killed someone here in our back yard who weighed nearly 200 pounds,” says McFadden, who hunts with a bow. “You are very smart. As soon as they see a prisoner, they move on. “
As an avid hunter, McFadden has more options than most but still knows the pigs have the upper hand. So he encourages motorists to watch out for a hazard on the roads that most people in the city don’t anticipate.
“[We’re] talk about animals that may weigh 300 pounds! ”says Henry, adding that the collisions are happening across the state as the wild boar population explodes.
“You’re talking about catastrophic effects. In fact, one of our technicians ran into one in a little Ford Fiesta on his way to Abilene. Total loss of his car. “
Henry says he’s working with the local cities to catch and remove as many wild boars as possible. And he encourages homeowners to put pressure on city guides to develop state and federal resources. But the first step, he says, is to make lawn less of an insect buffet.
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“If you go to the neighboring yard, it has to be like that,” says Henry with a smile, “but I don’t want her in my garden!”
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