Wild hogs at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Dallas have been damaging property and gravesites for over a year, according to NBC 5, and they continue to be a problem.
Volunteers for the nonprofit Hogs for A Cause Texas attempted to address the issue in April of 2021 but had gear and camera equipment stolen twice.
Earline Caldwell told NBC 5 that the graves of her three sons are among those that have been damaged.
“It’s very heartbreaking, my sons. It’s hard for me to talk about them,” Caldwell said. “It’s even harder for me to go out to the cemetery and see them in a place I thought would be comfortable.”
Caldwell felt the cemetery has not done enough to deal with the hog problem.
“We’re tired of seeing this here. How many times must we go out there and see our family graves like somebody trying to dig them up? If I had known Lincoln was not going to take care of the cemetery, I would never put my sons out there,” Caldwell said.
In the month they volunteered for the cemetery, Hogs for A Cause Texas was able to capture a dozen hogs before donating the meat to veterans in the area.
“Feral hog abatement is an important issue with HFACTX. Feral hogs cost millions in damage each year,” the organization’s website shares. “Here at HFACTX we offer corral and individual hog trapping as well as hunting to remove as many hogs as possible from properties. All we ask in return is a donation.”
Chris Matthews from the group said they were reimbursed for lost equipment, but it was too much for them to keep up volunteer efforts. One problem in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Matthews shared, is a lack of fences between it and the nearby Trinity River.
Dallas City Councilman Tennell Atkins represents the neighborhood and stopped by the cemetery on May 20 to see the damage.
“I do see the holes, and it looks like hogs have been doing that,” Atkins told NBC 5. “We do know there is an issue here, but we’re going to try to resolve the issue. I don’t want to play the blame game. We know it doesn’t have a fence. We know it’s by the Trinity River. But, the point is, we’ve got to put closure to this.”
Atkins stated that even though the cemetery is private property, he is still working to help with the problem.
“There could be many excuses,” Atkins said. “The family of loved ones don’t worry about excuses. They want to problem resolved.”
According to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, an estimated 2.6 million wild hogs live in Texas. They can be found in 99% of the state’s counties, causing about $52 million in damages every year. Damage to urban and suburban areas continues to increase. In addition, there are no registered toxicants that can be used as poison control for hogs.
According to Texas A&M, legal ways to deal with these animal populations “include shooting, trapping, snaring and the use of specially trained dogs.”
