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Wild hogs wreak havoc on Martin County town
Associated Press
2/17/03
PALM CITY - Dozens of huge, hungry, wild hogs have been running rampant in this Martin County town, scarring yards in search of worms and roots and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The hogs, which can weigh up to 400 pounds, come out in the middle of the night and can wipe out an entire lawn in a few nights.
"It's incredible," said Palm City resident Len Hoag, who says the hogs caused about $3,000 in damage in three nights of destruction . "It looks like someone went in there with a plow."
Hoag is upset that the county and the state both insist that trapping the havoc-causing swine is not their job.
"When you see the kind of damage those things do to a yard, you wonder what they can do to a young child," Hoag said. "This is a major problem, but nobody wants to deal with it."
Martin County animal control officials say the job of trapping the hogs should be left to state wildlife regulators. But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it only responds to calls for nuisance alligators and captive animals that have escaped, such as lions or tigers.
"They are escaped farm animals," said Fish and Wildlife Lt. Chris Sella. "It's up to the landowners to do the trapping."
Sella said homeowners groups can hire private trappers to control the pests. So, the Martin Downs Homeowners Association hired trappers to remove about 10 hogs from Hoag's neighborhood.
"It's been somewhat alleviated right now," said Hoag. "If we got hundreds of them now, what are we going to have 10 years from now?"
Palm City is 35 miles north of West Palm Beach.
Associated Press
2/17/03
PALM CITY - Dozens of huge, hungry, wild hogs have been running rampant in this Martin County town, scarring yards in search of worms and roots and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
The hogs, which can weigh up to 400 pounds, come out in the middle of the night and can wipe out an entire lawn in a few nights.
"It's incredible," said Palm City resident Len Hoag, who says the hogs caused about $3,000 in damage in three nights of destruction . "It looks like someone went in there with a plow."
Hoag is upset that the county and the state both insist that trapping the havoc-causing swine is not their job.
"When you see the kind of damage those things do to a yard, you wonder what they can do to a young child," Hoag said. "This is a major problem, but nobody wants to deal with it."
Martin County animal control officials say the job of trapping the hogs should be left to state wildlife regulators. But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it only responds to calls for nuisance alligators and captive animals that have escaped, such as lions or tigers.
"They are escaped farm animals," said Fish and Wildlife Lt. Chris Sella. "It's up to the landowners to do the trapping."
Sella said homeowners groups can hire private trappers to control the pests. So, the Martin Downs Homeowners Association hired trappers to remove about 10 hogs from Hoag's neighborhood.
"It's been somewhat alleviated right now," said Hoag. "If we got hundreds of them now, what are we going to have 10 years from now?"
Palm City is 35 miles north of West Palm Beach.
