Simpsonville Yard Being Torn up by Wild Pigs

A Simpsonville resident said she believes wild pigs are tearing up her yard and is looking for relief and a way to get rid of them, according to this report in the Greenville News.

Pat Fowler, of 323 West Georgia Road, says the suspected pigs — likely two of them — have rooted around so much in her years it looks like as tiller has ben used.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources has told her that the best thing to do is to kill the feral hogs, which are an invasive species in the state. However, city law prohibits discharging firearms. City Council members said a special permit could b a possibility, but are hesitant to issue one for liability reasons.

Capturing and transferring the hogs elsewhere, but the state has very specific rules for doing so, the news report said. Other weapons could be used, since the state has no weapons restrictions on hunting pigs on private property during daylight hours.

In addition to tearing up the land, wild pigs also can be extremely dangerous.

Meantime, Mayor Perry Eichor has asked the police to figure out a way to put these pigs in a poke.

"It looks like the thing we're going to have to do is eradicate them," Eichor told the paper. "I would rather have people that are experienced do the eradication, rather than giving permits or something like that." 

Meanwhile, Fowler just wants them gone. Period. The senior citizen said she remains afraid to work in her flower garden or use her backyard swing.

Read the full story HERE.

While Fowler deals with her problem, the proliferation of wild pigs throughout the state increases, according to SCDNR. The increase has become such an issue in the state, agencies have formed the South Carolina Wild Hog Task Force to work on solutions, reported WSPA.

More on wild pigs from SCDNR:

"Wild pigs have been present in coastal South Carolina since they were released by the Spanish in the 1500s. Their historic range was geographically limited to floodplains of major river systems. In the mountains of the state, Eurasian wild hogs were introduced in the early 1900s. In the 1980s wild pigs were found in only 26 counties, with the distribution generally resembling their historic range. By 2008 wild pigs were documented in all 46 counties with small scattered populations in the piedmont related to recent translocations by humans. The harvest of wild pigs in 2009 was estimated at 36,888 and the estimated population in 2010 is 150,000. Wild hogs are not protected in South Carolina and there is no closed season or bag limit on private land."

Have you had an encounter with a wild pig in Simpsonville or Mauldin? Let us know in the comments.