Feral hogs pose real issue for McKinney homeowners
MCKINNEY (CBSNewsTexas.com) — In fast growing McKinney, greenspaces are in big demand. But some residents are finding that feral hogs are making themselves at home in those areas.
"They dig up here...looking for grub," homeowner Ryan Keever said, pointing out the areas hogs have damaged in his front yard.
Keever is the HOA President for The Preserve at Lake Forest and said he's not alone in dealing with the damage.
"Every day, I'm getting emails or videos," Keever said. "They're [the wild hogs] going all the way behind the houses, over to the high school. They're all over."
He's even come face-to-snout with one of the smelly beasts.
"It was right by the trees. I scared it off and it goes right in there," gesturing to the wooded area near his home. "It was big...at least 150 pounds."
The near nightly sightings have left neighbors frustrated and afraid.
"All of the above," homeowner Michelle Hubbard agrees. "I walk my dog every day and I haven't in days because I'm a little bit nervous to do that."
Hubbard has been gathering pictures and videos from neighbors to document the issue while reaching out to the city for help.
In a video posted online as a resource for homeowners, the city says "a lot of that is because we're having a lot of construction...they're moving down the greenbelt and coming into our urban areas."
Still, Hubbard counters that explanations are not solutions.
"Other cities around here...Southlake, Coppell...they've set up some traps. They've dealt with it on some level, and I think that's what we want," she said.
But they'll need to act fast.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, if left unchecked, a feral hog population can triple in just one year. With no known predators, the hogs will continue to have the upper hand, and the damage to golf courses, lawns and gardens can get costly—quickly.
"McKinney doesn't seem to have a plan for it," Keever continued. "They [the city] gave us a list of companies that would do it for us. We're a small HOA. We can't spend $8,000 to trap some hogs."
For now, residents are pitching in to replant the damaged areas in the neighborhood. But still, they know replanting isn't a long-term solution.
"It's going to happen every night," Keever said. "They're going to different areas...but they're not going away."
