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| Roped off with caution tape and several large white signs placed at entrances into East End park, the Kingwood Service Association closed the park after several residents expressed concern the feral hogs were sleeping in the park during the day. |
Houston Community Newspapers
Residents hoping for a run or walk through East End Park were surprised to find the park closed Wednesday, Sept. 18 through Friday Sept. 20 as trappers canvassed the park in hopes of capturing some of the herds of feral hogs. Roped off with caution tape and several large white signs placed at entrances into the park, the Kingwood Service Association closed the park after several residents expressed concern the feral hogs were sleeping in the park during the day. Numerous Kings Point subdivision residents’ yards have been torn up by the hogs causing hundreds of dollars of damage and they have expressed their concerns to public safety especially for students walking to and from school on the green belts.
The Observers’ phone calls to Ethel McCormick with KSA were not returned concerning the closure of the park.
At the KSA Sept. 11 Public Safety meeting, McCormick stated that they have officially allowed a hog trapper, Geraldo Garcia, to trap the wild hogs with his dogs at no cost in East End Park where they believe some of the hogs are coming from.
Kings Point resident Joe Baehl has communicated back and forth with KSA about the feral hog problem especially after they have torn his yard and many other neighbors’ yards up during the nighttime hours.
“Time is of the essence, as feral hogs reproduce at a rapid rate, reportedly, their population doubles every 4 months; which exacerbates the problem as the damage they cause increases, along with the risk of their attacking someone in East End Park, on a greenbelt,” Baehl said in an email.
While many of the residents were able to express their concerns at the KSA Public Safety meeting, several others asked questions about what they can do to rid their community of this problem at the KSA Positive Interaction Program meeting Sept. 17.
According to the new Houston Police Department Kingwood Division Captain Mark May, it is illegal for any resident to discharge a deadly weapon within the City of Houston limits which includes all firearms and even bows like ones used for bow hunting.
“HPD cannot do anything in regards to the feral hog problem unless they are an immediate danger or attacking a person,” May said at the meeting.
Calls to both Garcia and another trapper used by several Kingwood residents by the name of Allstar Animal Removal did not return calls to the Observer.
The Observers will continue to follow up with any information about developments with the feral hog issue.
The Observers’ phone calls to Ethel McCormick with KSA were not returned concerning the closure of the park.
At the KSA Sept. 11 Public Safety meeting, McCormick stated that they have officially allowed a hog trapper, Geraldo Garcia, to trap the wild hogs with his dogs at no cost in East End Park where they believe some of the hogs are coming from.
Kings Point resident Joe Baehl has communicated back and forth with KSA about the feral hog problem especially after they have torn his yard and many other neighbors’ yards up during the nighttime hours.
“Time is of the essence, as feral hogs reproduce at a rapid rate, reportedly, their population doubles every 4 months; which exacerbates the problem as the damage they cause increases, along with the risk of their attacking someone in East End Park, on a greenbelt,” Baehl said in an email.
While many of the residents were able to express their concerns at the KSA Public Safety meeting, several others asked questions about what they can do to rid their community of this problem at the KSA Positive Interaction Program meeting Sept. 17.
According to the new Houston Police Department Kingwood Division Captain Mark May, it is illegal for any resident to discharge a deadly weapon within the City of Houston limits which includes all firearms and even bows like ones used for bow hunting.
“HPD cannot do anything in regards to the feral hog problem unless they are an immediate danger or attacking a person,” May said at the meeting.
Calls to both Garcia and another trapper used by several Kingwood residents by the name of Allstar Animal Removal did not return calls to the Observer.
The Observers will continue to follow up with any information about developments with the feral hog issue.
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