Feral hogs tearing up Irving neighborhood

IRVING, Texas - Feral hogs are doing damage to an Irving neighborhood.

What We Know: People in Valley Ranch have reported the animals tearing up yards and plants in the last few weeks.

The hogs have been known to be in the area for years, but have recently started to cause more damage.

Some homes in the area of MacArthur Boulevard and Cowboys Parkway have had to repair their entire lawns, while the park at nearby Barbara Bush Middle School was left in tatters.

Residents say construction in the area is taking away some of the natural habitat for the feral hogs and that could be pushing them to residential areas.

At this point, there have not been any reports of the hogs harming anyone.

The City of Irving says it has hired a wildlife contractor to help with the issue. They have also met with HOAs and USDA Texas Wildlife to encourage the safety of residents and their pets.

By The Numbers: The City of Irving says since Oct. 1 they have had 15 documented calls for wildlife sightings.

Out of those 15, 3 were for feral hogs. 

The city says one of the calls was from someone who did not see the animals themselves, but saw posts about them online.

Courtesy: David Parkes

What They're Saying: "The hogs seem to be coming out earlier than they used to be. No one would ever see them because they came out in the dead of night. Now, they're coming out at 10:30 at night and are staying out until 6:30 in the morning. People are out in those times," said Brian Allen, who lives in the area.