Wild hogs near the Frost Bank Center highlight the growing challenge posed by the state’s sizable wild pig population.
SAN ANTONIO — At a 1920’s homestead on Salado Creek, just a little over one mile from the Frost Bank Center, a critter cam captured wild images Wednesday night.
A few minutes before 10 p.m. a feral hog with five piglets sauntered up to a water trough, while rooting around for grub.
It was a first-time sight for Jamie Calberg, who is used to seeing a nightly parade of opossums, raccoons and stray cats on the camera that was set up specifically to watch for wildlife.
“I’ve lived here for 30 years and never seen hogs before until they started building hundreds of homes five or six miles downstream from here,” Jamie said of the family of pigs that was just a few feet from his home.
Neighbors who live near the Martin Luther King Park area, which is about two miles south, noticed the influx of wild neighbors more than one year ago.
The fact that the pigs are expanding their range is not surprising.
Texas Parks and Wildlife says the Lone Star state has the largest wild pig population in the country, with numbers as high as four million animals.
Biologists have estimated the damage they cause to crops and rangeland at $118 million dollars every year.
State law allows unlimited hunting for anyone who has a license, but inside city limits there are rules against firing guns.
Trapping is allowed but using poison is not, and officials urge anyone who comes in contact with the animals to use caution, as they can transmit swine brucellosis to people, which is a contagious disease caused by bacteria.
The City of San Antonio has a procedure for handling animals that cause damage or danger on public property but private property owners are responsible for their own land.
More tips about managing the invasive species can be found here.
The Texas Animal Health Commission also has regulations related to the movement of live feral swine.