{"id":379059,"date":"2025-11-14T19:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T19:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/379059\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T19:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T19:59:14","slug":"are-feral-pigs-coming-to-a-neighborhood-near-you-texas-am-expert-weighs-potential-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/379059\/","title":{"rendered":"Are feral pigs coming to a neighborhood near you? Texas A&#038;M expert weighs potential causes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>STORY HIGHLIGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>MORE ENCOUNTERS WITH PIGS IN SUBURBIA:<\/b>\u00a0Damage reports are rising<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>CITY SPRAWL:<\/b>\u00a0Cities are growing into the invasive species habitat <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p><b>HOA, CITY ORDANCES:<\/b>\u00a0Make it hard to battle pigs in a suburban setting<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>STORY<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 <b>ENCOUNTERS INCREASING<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Video recently shared with KSAT showed a Helotes resident surprised when he faced a sounder of wild pigs while taking out the trash. It happened in an area of new construction. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">While feral pigs have long been in and around San Antonio, these types of interactions are becoming more common as the city sprawls. <\/p>\n<p>Screen capture from a Helotes resident who encountered pigs in his neighborhood (Copyright 2025 by KSAT &#8211; All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing to me \u2014 over the last year and a half, the more and more phone calls I\u2019m getting from neighborhoods in big cities, medium cities, city parks and rec departments,\u201d said Jay Long, who has long studied feral pigs for the Texas A&amp;M Natural Resources Institute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>A PERISISTENT PROBLEM<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Feral pigs have been a problem in Texas for decades, resulting in $670 million in agricultural losses. For that reason, pigs are allowed to be hunted year-round and there are no bag limits. Mitigation is ongoing; however, the populations of pigs continue to grow. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>SURBURBIA &amp; PIGS CO-MINGLING<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The destruction from feral pigs is now transitioning from a rural problem to a metropolitan one. That\u2019s because the pigs aren\u2019t so much moving into San Antonio, as San Antonio is expanding into their habitat and providing them with water and food options.<\/p>\n<p>Trail camera footage at Friedrich Wilderness Park (San Antonio Parks And Rec)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThey just have the perfect little tool on the front of their face and nose to just come in here and dig all of this up,\u201d Long said as he showed KSAT recent damage at Friedrich Wilderness Park, which sits just inside city limits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">A neighborhood that sits adjacent to the park, Stonewall Estates, has reported damage to numerous homes due to pig rooting.<\/p>\n<p>Trail camera footage at Friedrich Wilderness Park (San Antonio Parks and Rec)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThat\u2019s usually what spurs most of my phone calls from neighborhoods. We\u2019ve had 20 houses in the neighborhood getting their entire front yard looking exactly like this,\u201d said Long, who pointed to damage in Friedrich Park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>WHAT CAN HOMEOWNERS DO? <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Flowerbeds, sprinkler lines and landscapes are all at risk. But what exactly can neighborhoods do? This is where it gets tricky.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cTheir management efforts are severely limited, compared to a rancher that owns a thousand acres well outside any of the cities,\u201d Long said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">That\u2019s because homeowner associations and city ordinances make it tough to battle pigs in a suburban setting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For instance, shooting at pigs in a residential neighborhood would be problematic. Trapping is often the best bet, but Long cautioned that it can be expensive and feral pigs are intelligent animals. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">It\u2019s why he\u2019s launched a campaign to educate cities and metropolitan areas to better understand the battle that lies ahead. The hope is to provide more options to those inside the city limits. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Currently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2023\/08\/01\/feral-hog-trapping-contract-up-for-san-antonio-city-council-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2023\/08\/01\/feral-hog-trapping-contract-up-for-san-antonio-city-council-vote\/\">San Antonio does hire a trapping company<\/a> to contain the problem in places like Friedrich Park.<\/p>\n<p>Trail camera footage at Friedrich Wilderness Park (San Antonio Parks and Rec)<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>WHY SHOULD WE WORRY?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Feral pigs, despite their large size, don\u2019t normally pose a physical threat to humans. It\u2019s their destruction of property and the risk of disease that makes them a real hazard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThose diseases can be spread to humans, pets, other wildlife and other livestock,\u201d Long said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Meanwhile, in areas that have successfully eradicated wild pigs, researchers are discovering that native animals and plants are making a comeback. Long\u2019s hope is that greater awareness can lead to a decline in the invasive species.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>Read also:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KSAT &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STORY HIGHLIGHTS MORE ENCOUNTERS WITH PIGS IN SUBURBIA:\u00a0Damage reports are rising CITY SPRAWL:\u00a0Cities are growing into the invasive&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":379060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[3425,105488,2824,7202,159,16383,67,132,68,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-379059","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-feral-pigs","10":"tag-outdoors","11":"tag-san-antonio","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-texas-am-university","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115549828933622477","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}