Coyotes and feral hogs are becoming a problem for some residents in the City of Georgetown.
At least three residents on East Bay Street say their yards and shrubs have been “rooted” by the pigs and several of the animals have been spotted in that area.
At least two residents on that same street say their cats have either come up missing or have been found mutilated and blame coyotes.
Groups of these animals have been spotted or heard along the marsh in that area.
Officials say coyotes and feral hogs are both on the rise in South Carolina, but there is little that can be done to solve the problem.
Jamie Dozier, a wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said these two animals are turning up in areas where they were not seen before, including urban and suburban areas.
He said most of the time, they live in the marsh areas along rivers, which is consistent with sightings in Georgetown.
They are fairly common in coastal areas of South Carolina, as well as other parts of the state, he said, and it is likely that these animals have moved along the rivers into the city.
“People don’t see them very often, but they are out there,” Dozier said.
Debbie Christmas, who lives on East Bay Street in Georgetown, has made complaints to City Councilman Paige Sawyer about pigs rooting in her yard.
She said she saw hogs on the lot in front of her house around the Christmas holiday.
She has also seen at least four coyotes near the marsh and blames them for killing her cat.
“I’m not scared, but cautious,” Christmas said. “I keep my lights burning on my porches.”
Bill Hartis, another resident on East Bay Street, said he saw a coyote walking along the marsh about two weeks ago.
He has also heard stories of sightings from his neighbors.
What can be done?
Sawyer said he talked to City Administrator Chris Eldridge about burning the marsh to get rid of the coyotes and hogs.
He found out that the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management would have to give permission for the burning, and the fire department would have to be present to protect homes in the area.
Dozier said property owners could certainly do that, but he doesn’t think it would solve the problem.
“Fire is a natural part of the habitat even in the marsh and it helps revitalize it, getting rid of old marsh grass,” Dozier said. “But after a month, you can’t tell it even burned and the hogs and coyotes would move right back into the marsh.”
The only effective way to reduce the numbers of these nuisance animals is to trap them in cages and remove them.
Although DNR doesn’t trap the animals itself, residents can find contact information for contractors who do on the DNR Web site at www.dnr.sc.gov under the “Wildlife” tab.
By Clayton Stairs
cstairs@gtowntimes.com