Pig Problems in San Ramon (and the rest of the U.S.)

BY JANE McINNIS

Dry weather over the last six months has brought wild pigs to the lush suburban yards of San Ramon, confirmed a California Dept. of Wildlife official earlier this week.

Sprinkler systems have kept lawns green, feeding tubers, roots, fungus and bugs and providing moist soil that's easy to root around and eat if you're a wild pig.

"Once they find a free lunch they're there for good," said Craig Stowers, an Environmental Program Manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Stowers has been dealing with pig problems across the state since May.

Earlier this month, a hunter shot and killed a pig with a crossbow in the Lynhurst Place neighborhood of San Ramon, after obtaining a permit from the department. Commenters questioned the humanity of killing wild pigs over lawn damage, while others recognized the pigs aren't native to the area.

[Related: Wild Pigs Find Their Way to Danville.]

In San Jose, the pig 'crisis' has been causing thousands of dollars of damage to golf courses and yards, according to the San Jose Mercury News. One resident reportedly scared the pigs off his property with a car.

San Jose's city council passed an urgent measure to allow state-issued shooting permits for the pigs earlier this month.

[Related: Hunter Kills Pig With Crossbow in San Ramon Suburb.]

"Pigs breed like rats," Stowers said. "The only way to control pigs is to kill them. No one wants them moved to their property."

The wild pigs are responsible for pushing native deer out, cause long-term issues for erosion and wreak havoc on native plants, department officials said.

Domestic pigs were brought to Monterey County in the 1700s by Europeans, and mixed with wild boar that were brought to the area in the 1920s. They have no natural predators and aren't picky eaters.

[Related: What's Up With the Wild Pigs of San Ramon?]

In a Smithsonian article that appeared in 2011, wild pigs were called 'the most destructive invasive species in the U.S. today.' The pig problem has gotten so out of hand in Texas, the pigs have pushed native species out while causing $400 million in damages annually.

Thousands of pigs have been hunted and shot from helicopters across Texas.

"They are vicious critters that typically grow to 200 pounds, can run 30 miles per hour, jump three feet high and climb out of traps with walls up to six feet high," experts said in a Reuters article in August.

The article also mentioned that the Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is preparing a "national feral swine plan," which President Barack Obama proposed $20 million for.

The California Department for Fish and Wildlife has a rather hands-off approach for getting rid of the animals--while they can easily issue a permit for depredation to a homeowner (and send it electronically), the homeowner is responsible for finding someone to hunt or trap the pigs.

"If you're responsible for attracting the animals, you're responsible for getting rid of them," Stowers said.

Animal control doesn't deal with wild pigs, and will quickly give you the number for the Department for Fish and Wildlife.

For those who aren't interested in killing the pigs on their property, the department suggests letting your grass die in the dry months, making sure you don't leave any water out, or installing an electric wire fence.

"You can't reason, train or educate them. You have to kill them," Stowers said.

The department expects the pig problem in the suburbs of the East Bay to go away with the wet season.

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