The feral pigs in the Santa Ana River bottom may be gone, but they are not forgotten.
After causing thousands of dollars of damage at an Eastvale park in fall, the elusive swine have either moved on or are keeping a low profile.
But local wildlife officials say they want to be prepared with a pig management plan that would allow the hunting and trapping of the creatures when the pigs return. And they will return.
âWild pigs have been an issue in this region for many, many years,â said Scott Bangle, general manager of the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District.
On a federal and state level, a group that includes the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and San Diego city and county, in 2013 adopted a feral pig damage control plan. It would allow the trapping and hunting â" and in some cases aerial hunting â" of the swine to contain environmental damage to the Cleveland National Forest.
That program has not yet begun, Cleveland National Forest spokeswoman Anabele Cornejo said.
Feral pigs roam in packs of 30 or 40. They cause damage to crops, sensitive plant species, riparian habitat, oak grasslands and Native American cultural resources as they root and wallow. Some have tusks.
The pigs normally keep a low profile during the day and forage for food at dusk, night and in the early morning.
At a Thursday, Jan. 9, meeting of the county park districtâs advisory commission, county biologist Dustin McLain briefed the panel on his efforts to convince state fish and wildlife officials to approve an ongoing pig management program that would include trapping and hunting the creatures to keep herds at manageable levels.
âWeâll never get rid of the pigs entirely,â McLain said after the meeting.
He added that the animals are remarkably prolific, with some sows capable of producing litters of eight piglets at least once, and sometimes twice a year.
As it stands now, a city, county or private land owner that suffers property damage must obtain a depredation permit from state Fish and Wildlife after providing proof of damage.
McLain is natural resources manager at the 1,544-acre Hidden Valley Wildlife Area, which has had regular visits from the porkers, the most recent in February 2012.
By the time the agency got a depredation permit, the swine had vanished, McLain said.
McLain said in a separate interview this week that he suspects the pigs also may be feasting on frogs and other amphibians and reptiles that make the river bottom their home. The pigs are omnivores.