BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — Wild hog sightings have seen a recent uptick in a South Carolina county that has historically not been among the problem areas for infestation in the state.
The Island Packet reports that the director of Beaufort County Animal Services, Tallulah Trice, says the department has received about five calls in November, which is more than most months. Last week, animal services trapped five hogs that destroyed land on St. Helena Island, and police responded Sunday to a 300-pound (136-kilogram) wild pig that was charging at people in Bluffton.
Trice believes the apparent pig infestation is the result of people releasing pets and subsequent multiplication.
Still, state Department of Natural Resources spokesman David Lucas says the wild hogs' preferred habitat is swampy lowlands near river bottoms.
