KYLE, Texas — Since Christmas, homeowner Heather Tabor and her neighbors have dealt with a nuisance hogging their personal space.
“You can see where the hogs have come through here and taken over,” Tabor said. “When you see the level of damage to these yards, it’s eventually going to be an issue where there’s no grass to mow here.”
Late at night, this quiet community in Kyle has witnessed a large group of feral hogs causing extensive damage to their properties. But whose problem is it?
“We’ve reached out to animal control. They can’t do anything,” Tabor said. “The City of Kyle says they can’t do anything because they’re not on city property, and the game warden can’t do anything.”
The City of Kyle told Spectrum News 1 Texas in a statement that currently, it’s up to the private property owner to hunt and trap these invasive species.
Mike Bodenchuk, the state director of Texas Wildlife Services, says with 3 million wild pigs in Texas, cities across the state need to play a more active role.
“We tell people that they can’t barbecue their way out of this problem,” Bodenchuk said. “It actually takes a concerted effort to get to the pig problem at a statewide basis. We respect private land owner rights, but when one landowner is holding the pigs and there’s damage to another neighbor, there needs to be some accountability there.”
Bodenchuk emphasized how common these types of hogs are in Texas.
“They are the number one species we have to respond to,” Bodenchuk said. “We work with more areas of feral hogs than any other conflict in the state.”
Insurance providers have told Tabor and the community their current damages will be covered. However, there’s no telling if this situation will get better before it gets worse.
“What if you’re coming in late from work one night and they attack you? Something has to be done,” Tabor said.