- Drivers who use the Port Aransas ferry system say they have seen several wild pigs by the the ferry landing for the past few months.
- TxDOT and Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) officials have been in communication about a potential plan for a solution to the issue.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife officials say the pigs are most likely feral pigs.
- TPWD game wardens advise people to not interact with and to not feed the pigs by the ferry landing at all.
Are they feral pigs or ferry pigs? Well in this case, both.
Drivers who use the Port Aransas ferry system say they have seen several wild pigs hanging out by the ferry landing over the past couple of months. Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Ben Baker said these pigs are most likely feral due to the elongation of their snouts.
Ferry system employees told KRIS 6 News reporter Erin Holly that the pigs do not bother them while they work. But some neighbors who use the ferry are concerned that they are an invasive species that are taking over the area.
“They’re not in any way disrupting the ferry schedule or affecting our employees, or the public. Really they’re more of a novelty, than they are a nuisance," TxDOT Public Information Officer Rickey Dailey said.
Neighbors who spoke to KRIS 6 News off camera said the biggest issue they have seen is people stopping their cars to get out and feed the wild animals.
“We believe we’re coming off of adjacent property. Again, the wildlife experts have said, and this is probably the best advice, don’t interact with them," Dailey said.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Ben Baker said that interacting with wild animals makes them more comfortable with humans, which then becomes dangerous for both the humans and the animals.
“Don’t interact with them. And above all, above all, do not feed them," Dailey said.
TPWD Game Warden Ben Baker said that no plan is set in place as of right now to relocate the bigs, but several agencies are working together to come up with one if the pigs cause large problems for people who use the ferry and ferry workers.
“Like I said, there has been contact between various agencies on what could possibly be done," Dailey said.
For now, Dailey and Baker urge drivers to be extremely vigilant when approaching the ferry landings.
“They should stop. Approaching the ferry landing, you should be going at a very low rate of speed anyway, so it shouldn’t be any problem to stop and let them across. That's the best thing to do so you don’t damage your vehicle, and you don’t damage them," Dailey said.
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