SAN ANTONIO – Among the 511 acres of the Medina River Natural Area, there’s at least one thing that is fully “natural:” feral hogs.
There are estimated to be more than 2.5 million feral hogs in Texas, and the invasive, nuisance species have been spotted at the City of San Antonio’s southernmost park. There has also been evidence of them at other city properties, such as Friedrich Wilderness Park and the Greenway Trail System.
Able to breed early and often, the pigs can cause damage to the local ecosystem. They can also grow to several hundred pounds and could pose a threat to park visitors, says Parks and Recreation Department Natural Resources Manager Grant Ellis.
“We can’t expect to eradicate the feral hog population in Bexar County, but we can work in our parks and in city locations to help control that population,” Ellis said.
The San Antonio City Council is scheduled to vote Thursday on a hog trapping contract worth an estimated $35,000 a year. The contract would run more than two-and-a-half years, through March 2026, with two, one-year renewal options.
The proposed contractor, a company out of Lytle, will set up traps where needed. Depending on the size of the trap, Ellis said, they can snag 10 to 15 hogs at a time.
Ellis said the contractor will take the captured pigs to a processing facility. While they won’t be bringing back any “Parks & Rec” branded pork sausages, the contractor has reportedly proposed donating the pigs’ sale proceeds to the San Antonio Food Bank.
Ellis said the city has had contracts for hog trapping before, but they were for shorter terms.
“I don’t think that the problem has gotten any worse. But again, that’s because we’re doing what we can to keep it in check,” Ellis said.