A 13-year-old girl is recovering after being attacked by a wild hog in Erath County on Friday morning.
Keith White took to Facebook on Friday afternoon, thanking the community for their prayers for his daughter, Autumn White.
Autumn White, 13, is recovering after being attacked by a wild hog near her home. (Courtesy Keith White) (Keith White)
Erath County Chief Deputy Tye Box said the call came in around 7:15 a.m. on Friday morning, on private property off of 281 North, near Morgan Mill.
He said the girl was taking her two dogs out to use the bathroom.
“And they took off to a barn, an old barn that’s near her house. And she followed them, and when she got near the barn, a wild hog came out of the barn and came up and punctured her leg with a tusk,” Box explained.
In his Facebook post, White said their family dogs went into action.
“I can say if it wasn’t for our sweet Luna and Ozzy, things could have been so much worse, but they immediately realized she was in danger and Ozzy stayed by her side while Luna chased the hog away from our daughter,” White wrote.
Box said the girl’s dad was nearby and rendered first aid until the ambulance got there.
“I immediately applied a tourniquet and called our amazing first responders,” White said.
He said Autumn needed 44 stitches, “and is now home watching ALL the Harry Potter movies.”
“Small town folks take care of their own and that has been in full force today, again, thank you all for the prayers it means the world,” he added.
Box said it’s common to see hogs in the county– a video sent to us by a neighbor shows a whole horde of them on her property just this week.
A Morgan Mill resident captured video of the hogs on their land just this week.
But, he said, Friday’s incident was not common.
“We personally here do not have a lot of interactions where they attack anybody, or even livestock,” he said.
Box is now emphasizing caution for neighbors.
“We’re just trying to spread awareness that, you know, this has happened, and to be careful, be conscious of your surroundings when you go outside, especially near thick brush or some place where there could be wild hogs,” he said.
White agrees, telling NBC 5 that everyone should know what these animals are capable of.
But Box also said there’s no need for extreme fear– boars are usually responsible for ravaging land.
“This is a very isolated case as far as wild hogs go,” he said.