EDGEWATER, Fla. – Residents in Edgewater say feral hogs have been tearing up their yards — often overnight — causing thousands of dollars in damage. The city says it has trapped 50 hogs over the past three months as part of an ongoing effort to get the problem under control.
For homeowners like Cathy Parish, the destruction has been a years-long frustration.
“I put a fence as much as I could around the yard because if you don’t, you’ve had it. Sometimes they still go under. They’ll take that little nose and go right under,” Parish said.
She says the damage left behind is costly and time-consuming to repair.
“As long as it’s wet, you can try to beat it down, but they’ll make ruts almost a foot tall and even taller,” Parish said.
News that dozens of hogs have been caught came as welcome relief.
“50! Well that just makes me feel wonderful! Halleluiah! We’ve been after the city for years for help! Like, please!” Parish said.
In May, city officials acknowledged that new developments were pushing hogs out of their natural habitat and launched a trapping program in response. Police Lt. David Williams has taken the lead on the effort, identifying problem areas so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can deploy traps.
“The majority of the complaints began to come from the north end of the Florida Shores area, so we addressed those complaints, and now it seems we are starting to focus our efforts on the south side of Florida Shores,” Williams said.
Williams says the numbers show the program is making progress.
“50 hogs trapped so far and still counting,” Williams said.
But he cautions that the problem is far from over. Williams is urging residents to stay vigilant and report any sightings or damage to authorities.
“We’re going to be reactive to whatever calls we get from the citizens. At this point, once a trap has kind of slowed down in its volume of catching hogs, we’ll just relocate it to another area in which we are getting more reports,” Williams said.
Edgewater residents who spot a feral hog are asked to call the police department at 386-424-2000.