ROUND ROCK, Texas — Some homeowners in Round Rock are getting fed up with feral hogs destroying their property, but they worry there's nothing they can do.
"It's difficult. It's a challenge," homeowner Jon Devries said Monday.
His lawn has become the focus of his days lately. Feral hogs keep targeting his home and others in the Hidden Glen neighborhood.
"I think Sunday night was time No. 6," Devries said.
The hogs are hungry, and dry conditions have forced them to find food in new places.
Photos Devries shared with KVUE show the damage the hogs recently left behind while scouring for food, like grubs and roots, on his lawn.
Feral hogs damaging property in Round Rock neighborhoods
"Manicured lawns are a buffet for them," said Wade Crimbring, Round Rock's senior park ranger.
The City of Round Rock is aware of the problem, but, unfortunately, there's no simple solution.
"If anybody's sympathetic or empathetic to the situation, we are. I mean, I would love to take a magic wand and just, boom, fix it," Crimbring said.
Several years ago, the City trapped and relocated some of the hogs to help reduce their population on City-owned land.
But for neighborhoods like Devries's, Crimbring said it's up to the homeowners association. He suggests perimeter fencing or hiring a private trapper.
"They're an invasive species. We're kind of an invasive species. So, it's a battle among the invasive species," he said.
Devries hopes the pesky hogs don't come back and tear up his property a seventh time. He said the HOA plans to get someone to trap some of them soon, but he's not too confident.
"I'm not counting on anything," he said.
Feral hogs are not new to Central Texas. In fact, there are more than two million of them in the state, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They're estimated to cost Americans roughly $2.1 billion annually in damages.
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