Lehigh neighbors say wild hogs are tearing up their lawns

Neighbors in Lehigh Acres along Joan Avenue say wild hogs are responsible for the muddy mounds that used to be the green grass of their lawns.

Homeowners say, even when they clean it up, the wild hogs come back the next night and do it again.

“You feel like you’re being watched all the time and stalking you and then you see this animal,” neighbor Marie Gardenhire said.

These animals are forcing neighbors to shell out hundreds of dollars to repair yards they say won’t stay green for long.

“It’s damaging our livelihood and properties,” neighbor Jeff Emerson said.

And they say they are losing sleep too.

“It’s keeping me up at night because I don’t know when they will come to my yard again,” Brenda Salmon said. “Causing a lot of stress.”

They say the wild hogs are ripping up mud and dirt, and it’s happening every night in their neighborhood.

“It’s like torture every day,” Emerson said. “You have to come out and break your back with a mess every day, every night.”

Some even say they are ready to move if something isn’t done.

“It’s depression to come home and see the damage to my lawn,” Emerson said.

FWC says wild hogs may be trapped and hunted year-round with landowner permission. A hunting license and a permit is not required to kill wild hogs at night. You can also trap them, but they can’t be released on public lands and may only be released on private property with landowner permission.

“We didn’t move here expecting wild kingdom,” Gardenhire said.