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Wealthy Florida Residents Up in Arms After Wild Hogs Take Over Their Town

Feral hogs have taken over the wealthy town of Sun City Center, Florida and claimed the yards, garbage and greenery as their own. Not surprisingly, residents are fed up with sharing their properties with the destructive animals.

It’s unclear just how long the hogs have occupied the Florida neighborhood, but according to locals, they’ve already had litters and expanded their population. Already, feral pigs can be pretty territorial. Add some piglets to the mix and the situation can be downright dangerous, and the two-legged residents have found this out the hard way.

“The moms will charge you, so I didn’t want to be out there,” resident Leslee Ruthig revealed to New York Post.

According to fellow resident Dr. Gail Dudley, the neighborhood has brought the wild hog problem to the attention of the homeowner’s association as well as state officials. Unfortunately, neither entity has provided much help – even though the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission clearly states that these animals carry parasites and diseases” that can be transmittable to humans, pets and livestock.

The Commission also reported that feral hogs are present in all 67 Florida counties.

Locals feel helpless as the hogs continue to rampage through their yards with no solution in sight. There is a glimmer of hope for this neighborhood, though. The FWC says that they are now investigating the matter. Once complete, officials will likely decide whether further action is necessary.

Feral Hogs Have Also Reached Texas Neighborhood

Further west in the Waterside subdivision of Riverstone, Texas, residents are facing the same problem with both the feral hogs and their HOA. According to community members, the hogs have racked up an impressive landscaping bill, and it’s still adding up.

“They did around $3,000 worth of damage,” said resident Bianca Calderon de Lachica.

Similar to Sun City Center, the Riverstone HOA hasn’t taken much action.

“These are aggressive animals, they are invasive, dangerous and destructive,” de Lachica, a Houston attorney and mother of two, told the Houston Chronicle. “They carry diseases and are a threat to our kids.”

Even when they tried to call their own trapper, the HOA put a stop to the operation.

“I got a call from the HOA saying I had to pull the trap out, because I didn’t have the HOA’s permission,” said Edward Dickey from Texas Wild Hog Control. “They told me their attorneys thought it was too much of a liability to have a trap on community property.”

HOA representative Jaime Villegas stated that the problem lies with the access points, not the hogs. But even when servicemen repair the breached areas, the hogs just find another way in.

With no other options left, de Lachica feels more trapped than the wild pigs do.

“We would like a response or at least not be stopped when we try to fix the issue ourselves. We’re not trying to do anything illegal,” de Lachica shared.