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Highlands Today

Late Night Wild Pig Parties Upset Neighbors

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

From left: Ileana Martinez watches as Robert Brumfield, Austin Maddox, Craig Marans and Jason Lare bring in a trap to Sandi Laufer’s home on Friday. Laufer’s backyard was damaged by wild pigs.

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: December 1, 2007

SEBRING — Sandi Laufer hopes to catch the pigs that have been tearing up her yard as soon as possible.

"Every morning when I wake up, my yard looks worse," said Laufer. "It's like someone took heavy equipment and plowed through my lawn."

Laufer, and several other residents who live along Granada Boulevard in Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, are experiencing lawn damage caused by a sudden influx of wild pigs roaming through their neighborhood.

Residents began reporting problems to Sun 'n Lake officials on Monday, and things have become so bad that the district is now offering traps free of charge for three-day periods.

"I think it's just (the pigs') migration pattern," said Sam Henderson, Sun 'n Lake's director of public safety. "I think they're just going wherever they can to try to get food and water."

On Friday, Henderson began supplying residents in need with 4-foot by 8-foot traps provided by a supplier in Lake Placid. Henderson believes the cages can store up to four or five pigs.

In order to receive traps, residents must sign a release and hold harmless agreement, stating that they will not harm the pigs if they catch them and will hold them until authorities can be brought in to remove them. According to Henderson, Sun 'n Lake has had an ordinance since the late 1970s making it illegal to discharge a firearm in their community.

"We've had like three or four incident reports since the beginning of the week," said Henderson. "But all you have to do is drive down (Granada Boulevard) to see the damage (the pigs) caused."

Laufer said that she had tried staying up at night to see when the pigs come to her yard but has been unsuccessful in her attempts to see anything, believing the animals come right before dawn.

"I can't shoot at them," said Laufer. "There's nothing I can really do."

Laufer, who had a cage delivered on Friday, said she was going to put corn husks inside the trap to entice the animals.

"I'm starting to get fed up," said Laufer. "I woke up the other morning, and saw four or five holes in my yard that were a foot and a half deep and I said 'Oh my god!.'"

Because of the damage, Laufer said she's going to have to pay money to have her lawn cleaned up and re-sodded.

Sun 'n Lake is not taking responsibility for the property damage the pigs have caused, or injuries or damages caused by the traps.

An official for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that because the pigs are roaming private properties, there's nothing the commission can do to regulate their whereabouts. The official also said that the pigs are considered domesticated, meaning once they're caught the person who trapped the pig can do whatever they please with the animal.

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