Suburban Hog Attacks on the Rise
Robyn Lancaster was walking her dog at George Bush Park in the Katy, Texas Area near the Mason Creek trailhead.
According to Katy Magazine Online, at around 4:55 p.m. Nov. 5 a feral hog approached Lancaster and her dog and then attacked.
The hog slashed the dog (which ended up surviving) and ran off.
Both Lancaster and the dog were lucky. As terrifying as that was, it could have been worse.
The Katy incident echoes an attack I featured in the Higher Calling Wildlife podcast
The attack occurred March 13, 2021 when Ricky Morgan was walking his Great Pyrenees/Yellow Lab mix dog near Sam Rayburn reservoir.
Morgan said the boar weighed about 150 pounds, had long tusks and walked out on the road in front of him and his dog.
“At first, I thought it was just going to walk back into the woods but then my dog started barking. The next thing I knew the hog was on top of me and I was on the ground,” Morgan said.
While Morgan fought to keep the hog from slashing his face or neck, the dog was pulling on the back side of the hog’s head.
“There’s no doubt if I didn’t have my dog ‘Ace’ with me I might not be alive today,” he said.
You can listen to Chester’s interview with hog attack survivor Ricky Morgan, titled, “Analysis of a Hog Attack” and the rest of Chester’s three part feral hog series here.
A feral hog (or group of hogs) killed an Anahuac woman Nov. 2019.
We hate to be right on this but beginning as early as 2010, we started sounding the warning that two things would happen with hogs in Texas.
1. There would be more attacks.
2. Hogs would invade urban areas and the hogs there would grow huge and pose major attack danger.
Both are coming true.
There are two things we can learn from the recent attack in Katy and Ricky Morgan’s near Sam Rayburn.
1. Dogs Draw Hogs: Hogs know of dogs as a danger and will either run or lash out. People walking dogs are even in greater danger than someone who isn’t in many settings. The dogs will often trigger a hog to attack. In Morgan’s case the dog saved his life but if you look at bear attacks in many areas, a good portion of them involve someone walking a dog. This is something to consider when walking dogs in hog-dense areas.
2. No Easy Escape: Both of these incidents had the hog appearing and then the attack was one. People underestimate hogs speed. Never assume you can outrun a hog.
Urban Hog Explosion
Genetics, age, food and cover are the ingredients required for super-size. Without the genetic code animals don’t have the capacity for maximum growth. Without food and cover it is impossible to feed their potential size. However, without reaching the optimal age, it is all a moot point.
These factors are the reason why gigantic feral hogs will become the apex predator in many Texas cities and in other places in the country.
Feral hogs have entered the city limits of many cities in the American South. They are becoming major problems for animal control, homeowners, golf course managers and park superintendents.
Once hogs enter cities there is virtually no way to control them. Without doubt, hogs are in Houston, San Antonio, Beaumont and other major cities right now with the potential to outgrow the average grizzly bear.
Greenbelts as well as abandoned lots, dumps and other open areas provide adequate nutrition. Then there is the age factor.
Trapping has very limited effectiveness. Shooting them under virtually every circumstance is off limits for obvious reasons. No one will have the stomach to allow hunters with trained curs and pit bulls to capture or kill them. Furthermore, poisoning (where legal) is not going to be possible because of danger to pets and people.
So, when that hog with the genes to be a giant enters a city, it has everything else it needs to do just that.
It’s an interesting time regarding feral hogs in Texas. We are seeing virtually all control methods fail and the collision of hogs and humans is intensifying.
Always respect a hog’s ability to hurt you. Never enter the woods in fear but keep these attacks in the back of your mind, so you can stay safe.
About the Author
Chester Moore is the host and producer of the award-winning Higher Calling Wildlife® podcast on the Waypoint Podcast Network. Listen to his podcast on Waypoint.