A resident in Mesquite is pressing city officials to tackle a surge in feral hog sightings.
Ted Faulkner, who has lived in the Falcons Lair neighborhood for 17 years, pointed to fresh destruction on his property.
All of this damage that you’re looking at was done by feral hogs within the last six weeks,
he said, CBS News Texas reported.
The hogs ruined his flowerbed during his first two months in the home, prompting him to switch to a rock garden.
The first two months I was here, it caused me to change my flowerbed into a rock garden. After that, it was dormant for maybe a year or two,
Faulkner said.
Recent activity has intensified. Faulkner recorded videos showing packs of about six hogs, and sometimes up to 10, racing through the neighborhood at night.
Public safety worries him most.
I’ve warned people in the neighborhood, ‘do not walk out here after dark because you might encounter the hogs, they become frightened, and they might attack.’ That’s the biggest concern is public safety,
Faulkner said.
The animals also tear up yards, including heavy equipment.
They could probably get a part-time job working for an excavation company… We’re talking about several thousand dollars of damage,
he said.
Faulkner suspects the hogs den in a wooded area across from his house and proposes fencing it to block access to the neighborhood.
“I’ve talked with the animal control and with the city manager’s office. I made three different reports. The assistant city manager is saying they have contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife to see if they can get some assistance, because Mesquite doesn’t have the capability to trap these hogs,” Faulkner said.
City officials urge residents to report sightings, but note that animal services cannot trap or remove the hogs.
How much does it take before someone comes up with a way to control them?
Faulkner asked.
