ARLINGTON -- With corn-baited traps, Arlington animal control officers have captured nearly three dozen feral hogs and sent those not-so-little piggies off to market before they could cause problems in River Legacy Parks and surrounding neighborhoods.
The city set traps after the hogs started traveling away from the Trinity River area and south into nearby neighborhoods in search of acorns and other food, said Ray Rentschler, Animal Services field supervisor. Motorists have also struck and killed at least two hogs -- one weighing 254 pounds -- on the northern stretch of Green Oaks Boulevard, he said."Everybody is nervous about a 200-pound hog roaming the neighborhood," Rentschler said.Since October, city crews have captured 34 feral hogs. The animals are loaded into a trailer and taken to a Fort Worth meat-processing plant.The city received $10 to $100 for each hog. Those proceeds, about $900 so far, are being used for new traps to keep the feral hog population in check and away from homes and park trails, Rentschler said."The hogs are going to run from people, but we want people to feel comfortable in our parks," Rentschler said.On Wednesday, the city trapped at 160-pound boar that had been regularly sighted eating acorns in a neighborhood near Lamar and Green Oaks boulevards.Previously, Arlington Animal Services was euthanizing the hogs itself, costing taxpayers $100 to $120 per animal, then burying the carcasses in the landfill, Rentschler said.In 2010, 34 hogs were trapped and euthanized. The city didn't set any traps in 2011 because few of the animals were sighted.Wild pig populations can increase quickly. A sow has five to six piglets per litter on average and can have more than one litter a year, according to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.According to one report, Texas would need to eradicate 66 percent of its feral hogs annually to keep the population under control. In 2010, only about 29 percent of the state's estimated 2.6 million feral hogs were killed.The hogs cause an estimated $52 million in damage annually to the state's agriculture, according to a 2004 survey.Though feral hogs can be aggressive, no injuries to people have been reported in Arlington. The city, however, wants to reduce the risk of an encounter between the pigs and motorists or visitors on River Legacy's mountain bike and walking trails."They are probably not dangerous to anyone unless you stumble upon their piglets," Rentschler said."No hog, bobcat or coyote has ever attacked anyone in the city of Arlington," he said.This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578Twitter: @susanschrockHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
