Lakewood Ranch Has a Wild Pig Problem - Manatee County Commission to Discuss
Manatee County does not currently have a program in place that could assist residents dealing with issues or property damages from wild pigs.
People who live in the Manatee and Sarasota county area are used to seeing them in and around the roads and neighborhoods, From time ti time, they may even hold up traffic while crossing roads
However, residents in Lakewood Ranch say the pig population there is growing... and so are issues associated with them. Aside from the damage they cause, like tearing up landscaping and destroying grass.
There are a lot of dogs and children and some residents are fearful and could become aggressive,
Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh lives in Lakewood Ranch and is aware of the situation.
She says county staff will be giving an update during a Tuesday (1/19/21) morning county commission workshop.
The Manatee County commission work session agenda can be found here.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has the following policy on Wild Hogs in Florida.
"Wild hogs can create property damage by rooting up vegetation and damaging lawns. Exclusion, hunting and trapping can be effective methods of reducing this damage. Fencing (including electric fencing) can exclude wild hogs from small yards and gardens. Other fencing such as hog panel or chain link fencing between 24 and 32 inches tall is also effective."
The FWC does not provide removal services for wild hogs, but this species is not protected in Florida. On private property with landowner permission, wild hogs may be trapped and hunted year-round during the day and night and no hunting license is required".
For more information:https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/wild-hog/
https://myfwc.com/hunting/wild-hog/
"For properties open to the greater landscape (e.g., residential areas, golf courses), trapping is an effective method of preventing damage. A list of private nuisance wildlife trappers can be found at https://public.myfwc.com/HGM/NWT/NWTSearch.aspx. In addition to private trappers, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services provides a fee-based trapping program that services homeowner and community associations to resolve wild hog issues."
Hunting however in Lakewood Ranch is not something, depending on how it is done, may not be allowed in the community. Thus, the questions for Manatee County and FWC.