North Jefferson News, Gardendale, AL

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  • These feral pigs ventured out of the woods near the Castle Pines community recently. The pigs are normally afraid of humans, but residents say they are seeing more of the animals.

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  • Gardendale resident Sherri Penton used a special hunting camera to take this photo of wild pigs at her home in the Castle Pines community.

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August 31, 2010

Wild pigs wreaking havoc in Castle Pines

By Ben Montgomery The North Jefferson News

GARDENDALE — Residents in the Castle Pines community and Moncrief Road are saying they’ve seen wild pigs on their property recently.

Although feral pigs are a decades-old problem in Alabama, several residents say this is the first time they’ve seen them venture this far out of the woods.

“This is our first year to see them. But, several people have told me that the pigs and various other wildlife are common on the golf course,” said Sherri Penton, a resident of the Castle Pines community. She said she considers the animals a nuisance.

“They have torn up our flower beds. Not to mention, worrying about kids and pets being outdoors around them. Also, I have been told of the diseases they carry, which is cause for concern,” said Penton.

Dr. Ted Hankes, a veterinarian at the All Creatures Pet Hospital in Gardendale, said he couldn’t confirm the pigs carried diseases, but he was fairly sure they carried parasites.

“They are normally shy of people,” he said. “But, if you corner one they can become extremely dangerous. They have tusks that can rip you open.” Hankes said the biggest problem with the pigs is their destructive nature; they can destroy crops, lawns and other property.

Hankes said it was legal to hunt wild pigs year-round in most southern U.S. states because their overpopulation.

“They’re definitely in most states right now, and as they grow in size their area increases, too,” he said.

Hankes said the pigs tend to travel in large packs, and one Gardendale resident can confirm that.

“I was going north on Moncrief road at about 10 p.m., and it was kind of raining,” said Gardendale resident Steve Pennington. “Then 20 to 30 black, wild, wide-open running pigs suddenly came into the road.”

Pennington couldn’t stop in time and ran over two of the pigs, killing them.

“It was like I’d hit a couple of big rocks,” he said. Pennington said the incident happened near Gardendale Funeral Home.

Pennington said he’d seen pigs in the area before, but that this year was the worst he’s ever seen.

“People are seeing them everywhere,” he said.

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