3:01 am on Tuesday January 15, 2013
| Posted by Ken Hawkins
Problems with wild hogs in the Lowcountry return with a string of West Ashley incidents
Image by Flickr user Photomatt28
Wild hogs are back in the local discussion pool after several incidents in a West Ashley neighborhood off Bees Ferry Road.
Yards have been torn up at night and at least one resident trapped in his car while he waited for the animal to move along.
I'll point you to The Post and Courier's report (subscription).
Wild hogs are certainly not a new problem to the area, the Joint Base Charleston Weapons Station removed 293 hogs from 2005 to 2010.
"We've seen hog rubs on trees between three and four feet high and tracks as big as a man's hand. There are hogs out there weighing 350 to 450 pounds or bigger", said Sam Gordon a game warden on the base. "We've had hog traps that held 250 pounders get torn up by bigger hogs. The traps couldn't hold them and I'm talking 1/8" galvanized steel hog wire fencing welded to rebar steel rods."
Wild pigs have been part of coastal South Carolina since they were released by the Spanish in the 1500s, by 2008 wild pigs were documented in all of South Carolina's 46 counties.
The community needs to find some solutions without harming the animals. Sure they can be dangerous, sure they are big and strong but some proper property fencing could keep them away for sure. One can find on the market some strong and resistant wire mesh panels, these can be used also for the delimitation of the hog natural habitat. This is just an alternative, for sure there can be found more harmless solutions if we make an effort.