Santa Teresa Park Neighborhood Pig Problems



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View from the Bernal Hill Loop Trail in Santa Teresa Park, showing fire damage on the hills above Curie, San Ignacio, and Heaton Moor. Bernal Middle School is in the center. 

Contents

Introduction


On October 10, 2005, a fire burned a large swath of the hills of Santa Teresa Park between Santa Teresa Spring and the Buck Norred Ranch site (see here for pictures of the fire). It was probably no coincidence that soon after the fire, the neighborhood below it started to be invaded by wild pigs. People who have lived in the neighborhood for years said they have never had problems with pigs until right after the fire. The pigs, who normally feed in the hills and valleys of Santa Teresa park, started attacking lawns and gardens in the neighborhood.  They root around with their noses to look for food, digging up landscaping in the process. Hardest hit were homes along Heaton Moor and Manila Drive. Also hit were homes along Endmoor, Curie, and Camino Verde. The pictures below show some of the damage the pigs have caused.

Pig Facts

  • Wild Pigs are not native to North America. Pigs here were introduced from Eurasia either as domestic hogs brought over for food or as wild boars, introduced for hunting. Pigs were brought by Christopher Columbus to the West Indies in 1493 and by De Soto to Florida in 1593. Domestic hogs were released in California in 1769. Wild boar were released in California in 1925. Pigs are now found in at least 23 states. The nationwide population is estimated to be around 4 million. They are found in 56 of California's 58 counties.
  • Wild boars and feral hogs can interbreed.
  • Their weight typically ranges from 110 to 770 lbs., with some domestic breeds reaching almost 1000 lbs. They can grow up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet long.
  • Male wild boars have 4 razor sharp, curled tusks that can grow to 9 inches. They use their tusks for digging, for fighting other males when competing for mates, and for defense.
  • Male boars have a thick, tough hide covering from their neck to the bottom of their ribs. This can be 1 to 3 inches thick and protects them when fighting.
  • Pig breed year round. Females typically breed at 18 months of age and have 1 to 2 litters per year with 5-12 piglets per litter. If enough food is available, a wild pig population can double every 4 month or increase by 8 times per year. The table below shows how fast the number of pigs can increase at this rate of populatoin growth, assuming no population limitations:
  • Year Number of Pigs
    0 2
    1 16
    2 128
    3 1,024
    4 8,192
    5 65,536
    6 524,288
    7 4,194,304
    8 33,554,432
    9 268,435,456
    10 2,147,483,648
  • Obviously the above population growth is impossible. Pig populations are limited by predation, lifespan, disease, injury, reduced birth rate due to population stress, and the amount of food and water. The populations can increase if available food and water are supplemented by the pigs expandng into new territory, such as suburban areas.
  • Adult pigs have few natural predators. They may be preyed upon by bears, mountain lions, and crocodiles. Eagles, large snakes, wolves, bobcats, and coyotes may prey on young pigs. In Asia, they are preyed upon by tigers. Their primary predator, however, is man.
  • Wild pigs typically live to about 10 years.
  • Sows will forage with their young, typically in a family group of 6. Family groups may join together in groups of 50 to 100. Mature males are solitary.
  • Pigs are omnivorous. They will eat plant matter, such as fungus, grasses, roots, acorns, fruit, berries, seeds, nuts, roots, bulbs, tubers, and leaves. They will also eat invertebrates, such as grubs, snails, slugs, and worms. They will even eat vertebrates, such as frogs, fish, reptiles, rodents, bird eggs, small mammals, and carrion. They have been known to eat fawns, lambs, calves and kids.
  • They need lots of water to survive. They do not thrive in desert climates.
  • Their natural feeding behavior is by rooting with their tough snouts.
  • They can run up to 30 miles and hour and can swim.
  • Pigs have poor eyesight, but very acute hearing and smell. 
  • Pigs will normally retreat if confronted, but will attack if cornered, wounded, or defending their young. Though pig attacks are rare, pigs have injiured and killed pets and sometimes people. 
  • Pigs wandering or running across roads can cause traffic hazards. Pigs have been known to attack and damage cars.
  • Wild pigs can carry diseases, such as pseudorabies, swine brucellosis, tuberculosis, and trichinosis. Some diseases can be transmitted to pets and people.
  • In the park, pigs can dig up hillsides, causing increased erosion, reduced vegetation, trail damage, and silting of creeks. They can also damage sensitive habitats for native species and compete with them for food. They can promote the growth of non-native plants, such as yellow star thistle.

Pictures of Neighborhood Pig Damage

Below are pictures of the pig damage in the neighborhoods below Santa Teresa Park, starting on Heaton Moor west of Brockenhurst Drive, and going west. (Note to residents: these pictures of homes are intended to document the damage. If you do not wish to have your home shown on this page, let me know, and I will remove the picture. If you want higher resolution pictures to show your friends or insurance company, let me know, and I can send them to you.)

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Norred Court 11-4-05

Norred Court, 11/4/05
 

Norred Court 11-4-05

Norred Court, 11/4/05
 

Norred Court 11-4-05

Norred Court, 11/4/05
 

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Heaton Moor 11-4-05

Heaton Moor, 11/4/05
 

Endmoor, 11/17/05

Construction fences around yards on Endmoor, 11/17/05
 

Bernal School Field 11-7-05

Bernal Middle School field, 11/7/05
 

Bernal School Gates 11-12-05

Gates recently installed at Bernal School to prevent further pig damage, 11/12/05
 

Manila Drive 11-4-05

Manila Drive, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive 11-4-05

Manila Drive, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive 11-4-05

Manila Drive, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive 11-4-05

Manila Drive, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive at Camino Verde 11-4-05

Manila Drive and Camino Verde, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive 11-4-05

Manila Drive, 11/4/05
 

Manila Drive 11-17-05

Manila Drive, 11/17/05
 

Camino Verde 11-4-05

Camino Verde 11/4/05
 

Curie Drive 11-15-05

Curie Drive 11/15/05
 

Curie at Applegate 11-15-05

Curie Drive and Applegate Court 11/15/05


Pig Damage in Santa Teresa Park

Wild pigs have been tearing up the hills in Santa Teresa Park for the past few years. The worst damage has been along the Ohlone Trail, which runs along the wetter northeast-facing face of the hills. 

Ohlone Trail 4-9-03

Santa Teresa Park, Ohlone Trail, 4/9/03
 

Ohlone Trail 11-7-04

Ohlone Trail, 11/7/04
 

Ohlone Trail 11-7-04

Ohlone Trail, 11/7/04
 

Ohlone Trail 11-7-04

Ohlone Trail, 11/7/04


Pig Damage in Shady Oaks Park on Coyote Creek

The areas along Coyote Creek have been experiencing pig damage for at least a year. Metcalf Park and the neighboorhood around it were hard hit in the past. This year, the pigs attacked Shady Oaks Park. 

Shady Oaks Park

Shady Oaks Park, 9/16/05
 

Shady Oaks Park

Shady Oaks Park, 9/16/05
 

Shady Oaks Park

Shady Oaks Park, 9/16/05


Metcalf Park Area Pig Damage

The Metcalf Park Area is between Coyote Creek and Monterey Highway. Pigs living along Coyote Creek have been attacking the neighborhood.

Lawn at Forsum Rd. and Menard Dr.

Pig damage to neighborhood lawn at Forsum Rd and Menard Drive across from the Coyote Creek Trail

Except for the above, most of the lawns of homes in this area have not been attacked by pigs. The reason is that the pigs have been concentrating on the lawns of Metcalf Park itself. These pictures were taken on 11/20/05.

Metcalf Park lawn. Coyote Creek is to the left.
 

Picnic area, with the Coyote Creek Trail on the levee behind it.
 

Metcalf Park, looking towards houses along Forsum Rd.


Approaches to Pig Control

There are several approaches to the pig damage in the neighborhood adjacent to Santa Teresa Park:
  • Wait until the rains come. The pigs will return to the park hills. 
  • Thin out the pig population in the park by trapping the pigs in the park. 
  • Note: Hunting with firearms in the park is impractical because of the proximity of urban areas and the high usage of park trails. Discharging firearms in the city is illegal.
  • Trap the pigs in the neighborhood. 
  • Note: trapping requires a DFG permit and hiring trappers. Relocating the pigs after trapping is problematic because no one wants them.
  • Chase them out of the neighborhood. (Note that pigs can be dangerous if cornered.)
  • Feed the pigs in the park to lure them away from the neighborhood.
  • Individual homeowners can fence their yards to prevent pig damage. (Note that pigs have gone under plastic construction fences.)
  • Make lawns less attractive by not watering them, killing off lawn grubs that pigs feed on, and/or use repellents (like cayenne pepper).
  • Replace lawns with rocks or non-pig-friendly landscaping.
  • Put fences in strategic places in the park to prevent pigs from entering the neighborhood. This issue will be discussed below.
Each of these approaches has advantages and disadvantages. Some have short-term benefits, but not long-term. Some are are expensive. Some are politically controversial. These are not mutually-exclusive. A combination of several of these approaches may be the best strategy.

Exit Routes For Pigs From the Park

Santa Teresa Park is huge. It covers 1600 acres on both sides of the Santa Teresa Hills. Fencing it off entirely to prevent pigs from escaping seems like a monumental task. However, the park already has fencing in many area. Also, it is bordered on one side by the Coyote-Alamitos Canal. Keeping pigs from leaving the park may be a matter of finding exit routes and blocking them. 

Coyote-Alamitos Canal by Santa Teresa Spring

This is the Coyote-Alamitos Canal just south of Santa Teresa Spring. The hillside fire appears to have started near this point in the canal. The canal has steep paved sides, which should be difficult for pigs to climb. However, the canal has ramps, landslides, and bridges over it which can allow pigs to cross over. In several places, the canal goes underground, such as at Santa Teresa Spring, which is just beyond the end of the canal above.

Brockenhurst Drive Gate

Brockenhurst Drive Gate to the Mounted Ranger Unit at the Buck Norred Ranch Site

Neighbors have reported seeing pigs coming out of the Brockenhurst Drive Gate. This is the entrance to the Mounted Ranger Unit at the former site of the Buck Norred Ranch. At the site, the Coyote-Alamitos Canal goes underground for a long distance. There are no obstacles to prevent the pigs from coming out of the hills at this point.

Endmoor at Heaton Moor

At Heaton Moor and Endmoor, the park property comes down to the road. The old barbed wire fence has been breached. To the right of this picture is a bridge over the Coyote-Alamitos Canal and a hole in the fence above it. 

Joice Trailhead at the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch

This is the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch. In the center is the start of the Joice Trail. The Coyote-Alamitos Canal goes under this trail and the drainage to the right of it before reappearing behind the caretaker's house. There is a gate at the bottom of the trail. 

Santa Teresa Golf Course Gate

This is the gate at the Santa Teresa Golf Course behind the driving range. The gate is for a service road that intersects the Coyote Peak Trail and the Ohlone Trail. 

Closeup of Golf Course Gate

This is a closeup of the gate, showing how it was modified with an add-on frame to hold wire fencing. The pedestrian gate is spring-loaded, so that it must be pushed from the downhill side. This effectively prevents pigs from invading the golf course from the park trails. Gates like this could be used in other parts of the park to prevent pigs from exiting the park.


Meeting on Wild Pig Problem, 11/28/05

San Jose City Councilman Forrest Williams and Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage sponsored a meeting on Monday 11/28/05 at the Southside Community Center to discuss the pig problem. Here are some notes from the meeting (not necessarily in order):
  • Forrest Williams hosted the meeting and introduced the problem. 
  • Rachael Gibson represented Supervisor Don Gage. City, county, and county parks representatives were in attendance.
  • Ron Horii gave a Powerpoint presentation (based on this webpage) showing the damage pigs have caused in and around Santa Teresa Park and along Coyote Creek. He showed the condition of the hills, the damage caused by recent fires, and possible pig exit routes from Santa Teresa Park. (See the presentation in the Links section below.)
  • John Cicerelli, director of San Jose's Animal Care & Services: 
    • The agency deals with domestic animals, not wildlife.
    • They will remove animals that are sick or insured or threaten personal safety. The city will respond if pigs are attacking someone, if they are sick or dead or stuck in a fence.
    • They don't have resources in the city to deal with the pigs.
    • There have been no confirmed cases of pigs hurting people in this county. 
    • Dogs can be hurt or killed by pigs if they fight with them.
    • More people have been hurt by deer than by pigs.
    • Hunting is illegal in the city. An errant bullet can be deadly. Even using a slingshot or any projectile weapon is illegal. Changing this rule requires the city council to pass an urgency ordinance to temporarily lift the ban, but there needs to be a clear and present danger to people.
    • Metcalf and Shady Oaks Park have been attacked by pigs for years. They come out of the east foothills. They come and go.
    • The total number of pigs is very large, but not visible. The pigs that people see represent less than 1% of the total population of pigs.
    • The pig problem requires a combination of methods, such as trapping, repellants, insecticide to kill grubs.
    • Henry Coe State Park has thousands of pigs and have experienced damage from them. The park has an on-going trapping effort, but it hasn't helped, and it has been expensive.
    • It costs $250 to pay a licensed trapper to setup a trap. They require a $600 deposit in case the trap is vandalized. There have been cases of people releasing trapped pigs or vandalizing traps. Each pig caught costs $200-$250 to dispose of. The state will not allow them to be relocated or re-released. They are usually taken to rendering plants. Estimate $3000 for 2 traps and 10 pigs.
    • Plastic construction fences will not stop the pigs if they want to come in.
    • At the park in Basking Ridge, the city had problems with the pigs damaging the park. They broke the irrigation system. The city fixed it and let part of the park dry up and sprayed the turf to kill insects. That part of the park did not get further damage. The pigs attacked untreated parts of the park and neighborhood lawns.
    • Pigs have gotten hit by cars on Monterey Highway.
    • Cayenne or black pepper may deter pigs. They have sensitive noses.
  • John Norris, DFG, patrol lieutenant, Santa Clara-San Benito Counties:
    • The DFG will issue depradation permits to remove troublesome animals.
    • They are being more lenient issuing permits.
    • They will issue permits to the city, county, state parks, and homeowners. 
    • They have issued trapping permits to landowners in the Santa Teresa Hills for several years in a row. Sometimes they catch pigs, sometimes not.
    • Fencing works the best. It needs to be a semi-permanent solid fence.
    • Modular hogwire fences anched 8-10 inches into the ground should work. They can be put up during the summer and taken down around November.
    • When the heavy rains come, the pigs will start going back into the hills.
    • Trapping is only successful part of the time.
    • Hunting cannot eliminate all the pigs.
    • Trapping has caught about 3000 pigs in Henry Coe. They estimate there are 5000-6000 pigs in the park. It has reduced the problem, but not eliminated it. It has cost $50-80K.
    • Trapping must be done by a licensed trapper.
  • Jim O'Connor, head of Santa Clara County Parks Maintenance:
    • The county parks cover 45,000 acres. They have been dealing with pigs for years. They have been trapping pigs for 10 years. They have spent around $250K on them, mostly in the last 4 years.
    • They have had problems with pigs attacking the campground at Grant Ranch. It has been a safety issue. They changed the garbage cans to make them pig-proof.
    • There was a problem at Almaden Quicksilver around McAbee around 8-9 years ago. Pigs were attacking new housing. Hogwire fence was put up. The pigs moved along the fence and now are causing problems at Hollow Lake. 
    • People have cut fences. They have have had problems with illegal hunting. It is expensive to maintain fences.
    • In Annadel State Park, the entire park was fenced to keep pigs out, but poachers cut the fence.
    • The problem with fencing off parks is that it blocks wildlife corridors and prevents their movement.
    • They have also had pig problems at Coyote-Bear Ranch and Coyote Creek.
    • They did pig trapping at Mt. Madonna Park a few years ago.
    • Pig problems tend to be cyclic. They follow the acorn crops.
    • Putting contraceptives in feed is being studied, but the trick is in getting an effective dose to the pigs.
    • The parks will not feed wildlife in the parks to keep them there.
    • A long-term solution is for homeowners to put up hard picket fencing.
  • One homeowner said he put up a motion-detector sprinkler in his yard to scare off the pigs.
  • Mike Boulland, president of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park, recommended the County Parks look at the places where the pigs exit Santa Teresa Park and see about fencing those off.
  • Elizabeth Cord, from the Santa Teresa Citizen Action Group, recommended getting a small working committee together to address the problem.
  • Government Links:

Meeting on Feral Pigs, 8/23/06

On Wednesday 8/23/06, a meeting was hosted by councilman Forrest Williams to update the community on actions taken and to distribute an informational flyer. There were people from Forrest Williams' and Nancy Pyle's office and San Jose animal control. Joe Schultz and Don Rocha from the County Parks and Elizabeth Cord from the Santa Teresa Citizens Action Group were there. There was a representative from the Little Blue Society, which resolves human-animal conflicts. Ron Horii represented the Friends of Santa Teresa Park. Here's a summary of some of the points made in the meeting:
  • Forrest Williams said his office did a lot of research into how to resolve the pig problem. They talked to people at UC Davis, CSU Fresno, and Animal Control. They found there was no effective control solution except for extermination. They can't allow shooting the animals. It is illegal to discharge a weapon in San Jose. They looked into sterilization, but found that these methods could affect all animals, including pets and people. They determined that education was the best option, so they created an informational flyer, which they distributed at the meeting.
  • The flyer describes what feral pigs look like, where they came from, where they live, what they eat, and how they behave. It describes predators, why people should be concerned about the pigs, and the difficulties with eliminating them. It describes what people can do to protect their property from pig damage. It lists different agencies and organizations to contact for help and more information.
  • In Basking Ridge Park, whose lawn was dug up by pigs last year, the city put insecticide on the ground to kill the grubs before re-sodding it. They'll see if that is effective in keeping the pigs from attacking the lawn again, as pigs dig up lawns to get to the grubs under the sod.
  • The problem with insecticides is that they kill beneficial organisms, like earthworms. Beneficial nematodes are safer for the environment. They kill grubs and other harmful insects, but leave earthworms and beneficial insects alone.
  • City ordinances prohibit paving over lawns, parking cars on lawns, or having bare dirt instead of lawns. They need to be landscaped in some way, but that could be with ground cover, decorative rocks or bark, but not necessarily lawns. It could even be artificial turf, but you have to make sure you don't have grubs living below it. Rocks and cactus are fine and pig-proof.
  • The pigs who were attacking the neighborhoods were most likely the same small herds repeating their actions. However, if they were elmiinated, other pigs would most likely follow the scent trails and replace them.
  • Pigs cannot be trapped and released. They have to be killed.
  • Ron Horii commented that one of the problems with trapping is that traps can be vandalized. If it is necessary to trap pigs in Santa Teresa Park, there are 2 areas that would be save from vandalism: the Mounted Ranger Unit and the Pyzak Ranch. The Mounted Ranger Unit has rangers during the day and a camp host at night. The Pyzak Ranch has park personnel living in the houses there.
  • There were several comments that trapping is expensive and may work in the short-term, but not in the long-term. (Note: private citizens can get a DFG permit and hire licensed trappers to trap pigs on their property.)
  • Some residents have installed motion-activated sprinklers to scare the pigs away. They work, but they are battery-operated, so you have to make sure the batteries are still good. There is a sprinkler like this at the Mounted Ranger Unit to scare mountain lions away from the horses.
  • After the meeting, Joe Schultz said that the Brockenhurst Drive gate to the Mounted Ranger Unit is now an official entrance to Santa Teresa park. The gate will be replaced with a remote-controlled gate for the rangers to use, and a self-closing gate for park users. The gates will have hogwire to keep the pigs from going through them.


Links

The wild pig situation and what to do about it is a very complicated issue. The links below provide access to more information.

Local and Bay Area Pig Information

Laws and Regulations on Controlling Pigs

Information About Wild Pigs and Control

Pig Problems in Other Areas of California

Pig Problems in Other States and Canada


Return to the Friends of Santa Teresa Park Home Page

Created 11/16/2005, updated 8/23/06 by Ronald Horii