Hunting curbs eased to halt pigs plaguing San Francisco

CALIFORNIA is attempting to make it easier to hunt wild pigs in response to a “feral swine bomb” that is wreaking havoc in San Francisco’s suburbs.

The sharp-tusked pigs have destroyed lawns, sports pitches and have jeopardised grape harvests in northern California’s vineyards.

A non-native species, the so-called “super-invader” swine have become an increasingly costly burden for the wealthy Bay Area suburb of Lafayette, where residents have found their gardens destroyed.

Their encroachment into urban dwellings has also brought about a few close encounters with hikers and dog walkers.

The animals, a hybrid of domestic pigs and wild boars which have been known to weigh as much 300kg, have also invaded creek beds, which provide

‘They are a pest to just about everybody and everything. They’re very, very destructive’

drinking water for some of the area’s residents, prompting concerns the supply could become contaminated.

The growing numbers are a “scourge on California wildlands”, said Bill Dodd, a lawmaker who introduced a bill to make it easier to hunt the pigs in the state legislature this month.

“They also present a major public health risk and have been linked to outbreaks of food-borne illness,” he said.

Under the proposed bill, the current requirement for hunters to purchase a $25 “tag” to hunt a single pig would be replaced by a $15 hunting licence, allowing Californians to hunt the animals all year long.

“They are a pest to just about everybody and everything,” said Eric Sklar, a member of the California Fish and Game Commission, who helped write the bill.

“They’re very, very destructive.”