Developing and Implementing Feral Hog Management Procedures on an Urban Nature Center

Abstract

Author(s): Denkhaus, Robert | Abstract: Feral hog populations have long been established in Texas. Expanding hog populations and increasing urban sprawl have brought humans and feral hogs into contact even in urban areas. The Fort Worth Nature Center a Refuge is a 3,600+ acre urban green space owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by employees of the City’s Parks and Community Services Department as a natural, native landscape. Evidence of feral hog activity on the site was first documented in 1999. Efforts to develop a suitable control plan that would protect the natural resources of the refuge, while being cognizant of internal and external stakeholders’ diverse concerns, were undertaken over a 2-year period. These efforts culminated in the implementation of a successful ongoing trap and euthanize feral hog control program that has received wide acceptance from all stakeholders.