ATASCADERO, Calif.-- Atascadero has a new menace coming in at night and tearing up its green lawns: wild pigs!
They came, they dug, they destroyed.
"They're a pain!" says Atascadero resident Carol Parente.
"I shined the light on this lawn and it looked like a tractor had gone through!"
Wild pigs are can weigh hundreds of pounds and are considered to be very aggressive animals.
And for Atascadero residents they are causing a squealing headache.
"The first time I saw it, it was pretty devastating. They've been coming pretty much every night for two weeks now, " says Atascadero resident Paul Silva.
The pigs come in late at night digging through grass in search of worms and roots to eat causing thousands of dollars in damage.
"I don't think insurance covers it so it's going to be a lot of labor," says Parente.
Wildlife officials and city leaders believe the swine are coming from the eagle ranch property, located just south of Atascadero.
Fish and game plans on removing the animals at night using traps but the obstacle they face is placing the trap in a hidden space where no people can interact with it and hurt themselves.
Until then, Atascadero residents like Carol Parente are faced with the aftermath.
"People get upset when they hear about animals getting killed but these are not native," says Parente.
"They're destructive. I can't believe there's not 10 thousand dollars worth of damage."
Atascadero police and fire departments are asking any residents who see the pack of pigs to contact authorities and stay indoors, as the animals can bite.
