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Note: A spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told observers after the announcement that the state does not protect wild boar. Although FWC does not provide removal services for wild boars, if the landowner allows them, they may be trapped on private property and hunted throughout the year without a hunting permit. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates the transportation and possession of live wild boars, including the issuance of permits to those who transport and possess wild boars.

A raging animal problem is raising its head at Lakewood Ranch.

Wild boars have become an increasingly common habitat in Lakewood Ranch Avenue, along the shores of Lake Ulein, and in Lakewood Ranch communities. Government agencies seem unable to agree on who should solve this problem, and let Lakewood Ranch City Hall and various communities manage the problem as best they can.

Powerful snare: Trevino ties one end of the cable to a stable object, such as a tree. The other end of the cable is tied in a loop and positioned around the lever. When the pig steps on the lever, it triggers the cable loop, which jams and tightens the pig's leg. When covering a trap with dirt, it is important to sift out leaves, branches, moss, and other items that may get stuck under the lever and prevent the trap from triggering. The trap catches one pig at a time.

Box traps: Trevino's box traps do not rely on triggers like many people do because they can be detonated by squirrels, birds, and other animals that live on them. Instead, near the back of the cage, he tied a rope to a ground stake at one end and a pulley on the top of the cage at the other end. When the pig ate the rope and hit the rope, the pulley was triggered and the cage door was closed. Trevino captured as many as eight pigs in a box.

Corral trap: Trevino will set up a circular fence with a diameter of approximately 25 to 30 feet and a door height of 8 feet, which will initially remain open. In the center of the circle will be an automatic feeder. The feeder will dispense food once a day until the pigs are used to getting food in and out without being trapped, about 7 to 10 days. Once the pigs have adapted to the routine, a trigger is set so that the next time they come in for food, the door will slam shut behind them. Trevino once saw about 30 pigs in a corral.

Charlie Hansick, director of the Manatee County Department of Parks and Natural Resources, said in a statement that the county "has no large animal control or eradication program for the annoying wild boar, coyote, alligator, or deer." The statement said, Florida. The State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the authority on such issues. At the same time, an employee of the committee stated that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the appropriate authority. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services then pointed the finger at the Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Lakewood Ranch City Hall recently hired a new catcher, Juan Trevino of Cowboyup Specialties, to catch pigs on Lakewood Ranch’s community development district or its inter-regional management property. . According to Anne Rose, the executive director of IDA at Lakewood Ranch, this is the most IDA can do, because hunting pigs in such a high-density area is not a viable option.

"The population is getting bigger and bigger," Ross said, and several sources interviewed by observers on this issue also responded to this sentiment.

Specifically, Edgewater was hit hard. Trevino began setting traps at Lakewood Ranch on January 10, with the highest concentration in Edgewater. Lakewood Ranch CDD 2 board member Mike Finney said that even if Edgewater succeeds in catching enough pigs to convince others to move, they will become a problem for other communities.

Wild boars can cover hundreds of acres a day. Because of this, Finney said the issue is statewide, even national.

"Now these areas are independent," said Kathleen Grant, an Edgewater resident and former CDD 2 board member. "Because we didn't get any help from the county or state to help alleviate it."

Trevino has been trapping pigs and killing them since he was young. He pointed out two reasons why pigs became a more obvious problem at Lakewood Ranch. First, they are prolific breeders. Trevino said that they usually give birth to five to eight piglets at a time and can produce up to three litters a year. Secondly, due to the increase in development and construction of Lakewood Ranch, there are not many places for pigs.

As pigs enter more residential areas, they can cause damage to plants, courtyards, golf courses, etc. For example, Robin Miller, a resident of Edgewater, had to pay $4,000 to replace her yard in 2019 because her yard was completely damaged by pigs.

"I'm very angry with them, very upset, I will grab pots and pans and go to the yard," Miller said. "I would scream,'Get out of my yard! Get out, get out, get out!'"

Unfortunately, Trevino said, there are not many options for homeowners who are at risk of being torn apart by pigs in their yard. One strategy is to deal with grubs and worms in the yard. The other is to remove the fallen acorns to prevent the pigs from finding their favorite food.

Another affected community is River Club, which has hired its own catcher to alleviate this problem. Larry Levin, the board director of the community HOA, said that property damage is the most complaint he has heard. But he is more worried about their existence on the road. Levine said that without the coordinated efforts of higher-level governments (such as counties), someone would have a serious car accident.

Trevino said that wild boars are smart animals, especially after they have been exposed to many trapping techniques used at Lakewood Ranch over the years. First, if they encounter an object they don't recognize, they usually walk around it. Second, once they see their team members are trapped, they will stay away from that area and remember what the trap looks like in case they encounter it in the future.

Therefore, Trevino said that the key to trapping pigs is to create a false sense of security. They tend to use the same paths over and over again, so placing traps on these paths is a good starting point. On the other hand, the ideal location for a box trap is anywhere that can be easily camouflaged. Usually, this means hiding it under bushes, branches, and shrubs.

"I tried to make it look natural, like a child was building a fortress," Trevino said. "I want them to walk into the tunnel....I will make it look like a big bush. And there is no floor on my trap. That's another matter. When they use these traps, (pig ) Will feel those bars. Little guys, you will get it. The big ones, they will say,'No, that's not right.'"

Since his traps did not have a floor, he secured them with stakes to prevent the pigs from tipping them over.

Another key to trapping pigs is to use food to distract them. Despite their cleverness, spreading corn around the trap tends to distract them to the point of forgetting their surroundings.

Overall, Trevino plans to use five traps, four box traps, and a corral trap 25 to 30 feet in diameter, all of which he built himself. Each trap is checked at least once a day, and sometimes twice when he can recruit landscape workers to monitor them for him.

Trevino saw pigs in the 500 to 600 lb range during trapping. When he captured such a large one, he had to kill it on the spot because it was too large to be transported. Otherwise, he usually transports the pigs to an approved breeding facility, where they are then prepared for food. Trevino said that he has some individual buyers in the country who often buy his meat.

According to Manatee County, “If other surrounding areas are not coordinated and insist on the same level of control, then organized efforts in an area by a determined HOA are rarely effective.” At the same time, pigs are likely to continue to be a nuisance. .

"At Lakewood Ranch, they just got used to people," Trevino said. "For them, it's like a small park. They know they won't be hunted."

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Brendan Lavell is a general assignment reporter for The Observer. He received a degree in journalism and history from the University of Missouri. He visited 48 of the 50 United States. There was a black cat named Arya, the root of the Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, 76ers and Chelsea Football Club.

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