Wild hogs destroying Cape Coral yards

Neighbors in Northwest Cape Coral woke up to ripped-up grass and debris strewn across their yards.

The feral hogs are mean and destructive. The people who live near the Kismet Lakes Community see the animals that tear up and uproot daily.

They are trying to remove the hogs but whether this solution will be permanent or not is unknown.

Doug Simpson moved to NW Cape for the wildlife so he isn’t surprised by the hogs. He is worried about the number of hogs, though.

“They can really hurt people, there’s a lot of people that walk, they can show up in anybody’s yard. They can definitely do some damage,” Simpson said.

That’s why he wants them gone and so does his neighbor, Jim Bradbury.

“All kinds of wildlife and we love living amongst it so we just had to figure out how to do it so we don’t encroach on them and they don’t encroach on us and we can live blissfully together,” Simpson said. “That is really what we would like.”

A Realtor who sells homes in the neighborhood said the effort to remove the hogs is underway.

Eight of them were removed Sunday alone.

But Ned Bruha, owner of Wildlife Whisperer, said they will probably be back.

“These guys breed like rabbits and once they hit an irrigated lawn, it’s on like donkey kong,” Bruha said. “The amount of damage they can do to a nice lawn just overnight is thousands and thousands of dollars.”

As an expert, he has a solution.

“Fencing, fencing, fencing,” he said. “It’s not their fault and it’s not the fault of any of the homeowners who are having their lawns attacked. They are just living in areas that are super appealing not only to us but also, to wildlife.”

Neighbors are splitting the cost of hog removal. It’ll be $50 per hog if it weighs more than 80 pounds and $25 for any hog that weighs less.