On August 16, a 70-year-old Bunnell resident wanted to visit his late son’s grave at Craig Flagler Palms Cemetery on Old Kings Road. His son Evan had died three years ago, age 32. August 16 was his birthday.
The Bunnell resident was shocked by what he found at the cemetery. He described it as “utter desecration.” It was as if someone or something had foraged or plowed through gravesites, overturning grass and reducing swaths of the park to brown clumps.
It was not “desecration” in the common sense of the term: human beings were not doing this. Wild hogs were.
It’s been a recurring problem in Palm Coast and Flagler County, and an increasing one, as development continues to diminish habitats. The hogs, which often travel in broods, are tricky to fight off and the damage costly to repair, exasperating–and at time “terrorizing”–homeowners and businesses, now including the management at Craig Flagler Palms and families who visit the grounds.
“Over the past few weeks, our cemetery has unfortunately been impacted by wild hogs rooting through the soil in search of food,” Sal Passalaqua Jr., the area manager and funeral director at Craig-Flagler Palms, said in a letter he’s been sharing with people affected. “These animals can be highly destructive, and the damage has understandably raised concerns from families and the community who care deeply about this sacred space. We share those concerns.”
Passalaqua said the sight of the hogs’ trampling has led to misinformation on social media by people unaware of the hog infestation, which can strike indiscriminately. The cemetery is “committed to maintaining our grounds with dignity, respect, and care,” he said, has taken the issue very seriously, and enacted a series of measures in response.
A licensed trapper has been at the cemetery, baiting the hogs away from the grounds. Cameras are being used to monitor the hogs and facilitate trapping. The cemetery’s crews are “working to restore the affected areas so the cemetery continues to reflect the peace and respect it deserves,” Passalaqua wrote.
“We know how upsetting it is for families to see this type of damage, and we are being fully transparent about the challenges and the steps we’re taking to address them. This is our community cemetery, and protecting it is a responsibility we do not take lightly,” he said.
The problem falls outside of Palm Coast’s jurisdiction. Even in Palm Coast, where wild hogs have wrecked many a yard, “The containment and removal of wild hogs is not a service provided by the City of Palm Coast,” a city spokesperson said today, issuing a statement that appeared to have been circulated frequently, in response to residents’ complaints. “The containment and removal of wild hogs is not a service provided by the City of Palm Coast. Our Animal Control Officers are not certified or equipped to trap feral hogs. However, we do offer residents/business owners a list of state-registered trappers and local resources they may contact to help address this type of wildlife nuisance.
The statement continued: “The City and Flagler County have collaborated in the past on this issue, and the County has developed a Feral Hog Activity Dashboard to help track sightings and movements of hogs within the area. In reference to recent concerns near Craig Flagler Palms, this area is county land and the city would not have jurisdiction.”
Craig-Flagler Palms is in the county’s jurisdiction (though the cemetery has a Flagler Beach postal address.)
Recurring complaints last year led Flagler County government to discuss the problem at the County Commission last year and to set up an online dashboard for people to report hog sightings. The dashboard includes over a dozen reported sightings so far this month–all of them at the Hidden Lakes subdivision off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast. It’s not clear what use the dashboard has been, other than give residents a place to vent. Eric Revuelta, the county’s land manager, did not return a call before this article initially published.
“The hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage to Grand Haven residents from feral hogs over recent years has worsened and will continue to unless we find a solution. I do like to believe that we are the superior species here, however,” a Grand Haven resident told the county commissioners during their workshop last year.
The commission hasn’t discussed the matter since, but even then, resolving or eliminating the problem was not an option, they concluded: feral hogs will continue to roam, forage and destroy property. Containing the problem was the best the county could do. The county’s “management agents” traps scores of hogs every year, often killing the hogs.
Feral hogs are all over Florida, preferring palm hammocks, freshwater marshes like Graham Swamp and pine flatwoods. “They feed by rooting with their broad snouts, which can disturb the soil and ground cover vegetation, leaving an area looking like a plowed field,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.FWC’s wild hog page states. The state agency is very permissive with hog hunting.
Palm Coast recommends that residents or business owners seeking to have wild hogs trapped and removed contact a trapper licensed by the State of Florida. A searchable list is available through FWC’s website. Residents who live within a homeowner’s association (HOA) or under a property management company are also encouraged to contact their representatives, as efforts to manage the situation may already be underway.
More humane deterrents include red pepper flakes, garlic, and other scent-based products, and may be effective in altering hog behavior over time. Consistent use of these deterrents is necessary, as wild hogs will continue to return to areas where they feel safe and comfortable, and Palm Coast of course markets itself as one of Florida’s safest and most comfortable places.
Build them houses yeehaww says
This has zero, nothing, to do with home construction here in good ole Palm of Coast, lol.
tulip says
These horrible hogs serve no purpose except to ruin property and be mean. Someone said at one time that the hogs were a protected species!!!! What and why?!! Wait until some ” important people” get their yards torn up and see how fast things change!! I think they should open up a hunting season for those pigs just like they have open season on other wild animals.
Land of no turn signals says says
Wasn’t a problem until the destruction of hundreds of acres of forest for more over priced housing on Old Kings road.They will eventually more on.
mschapel says
This will happen all over Flagler County with all the building going on. There is no where for wildlife to go.
Mothersworry says
If there is no food supply they will go elsewhere. Might try killing the grubs that they feed on.
DMFinFlorida says
I am a full-blown animal lover, but this breaks my heart. The feral hogs are rampant – I’ve seen them strolling along Palm Harbor Parkway near Matanzas High School. Why not have something like the effort to remove the pythons from the Everglades with prize money? Then donate the hogs taken (it is my understanding they can be eaten like domestic pigs??) by having the meat harvested and distributed to food banks (or whatever entity can manage handling the distribution of fresh meat). Pardon my ignorance if that is not possible but something has to be done, and done humanely.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Do like they did in Louisanna…Kill a bunch & have BBQ FREE TO THE POOR ! $3.00 everyone else
Doug says
Keep building and pushing the wild animals out of their domain. Morons.
Mark says
Palm Coast could start a Bacon Fest with wild hog bellies, that would thin the brood. Mmmmm….
TR says
@tulip. I know someone who got a permit to hunt them here in Flagler country and make a hell of a bunch of money doing it. It started out as him for extra cash on top of his handyman service company he had. But when he was making a lot more money hunting hogs a long the RT100 stretch of road near Colbert Lane, he shut down the handyman business. It’s been awhile since I spoke with him so not sure if he’s still doing it.
I don’t think trapping and relocating them is a good idea. That just allows them to cause chaos somewhere else. I say open fire on them and lower the amount that we have here in the country.
Land of no turn signals says says
I would rather live with the pigs then some of the horrible cold people that live here.why don’t we kill every living animal and call it Queens.
I live there says
Wildlife seems to be a inconvenience to humanity, guess that’s why there is very little left . Only less than 4% of the biomass is wild animals less every year! Mostly livestock now. The former national forests are being sold off for timber as a logging CEO was placed in charge. How pathetic!! More Environmental terror from republicans!
Tina j says
Some republicans may be surprised to find out people care about the environment because they live in it ! Shoot the pigs but don’t let republicans make it out to be some manufactured crisis so they can enact new rules!! They have to cheat and steal at everything! Time for revolution yet? Or we waiting for full blown collapse? This Nazi regime that protects the worst humans got to go!
G Blazer says
With the price of groceries growing exponentially every week soon many local people may need to be able to hunt these animals just to sustain themselves. In this economy I’d let them live for now. Plus if you’re into it you can go shoot one about anytime you want, places used to advertise it.
Pogo says
@Elmer Fudds
… unite! 12 gauge buckshot, slugs — will play hell.
FLF says
It is legal to hunt hogs year round. It’s where you hunt hogs is whether it is legal or not. You can trap them anywhere if the municipalities allow you to do it. Where you discharge a firearm to kill one is the issue which is understandable. We hunted hogs everywhere around here 40 years ago, hunted them with dogs, caught them, carried them out of the woods, castrated the boars, fed them slop, and ate them. If we caught a sow and she had baby pigs with her, we turned her loose. If we caught a boar and decided to turn it loose we castrated the boar and then it became a barr to catch another day and eat it at will. That was a hogs life in those days, plenty of land, they didn’t mess with anyone and when you wanted a BBQ, you went and caught one. Now comes 130,000 more people into their world, what do you think they’re going to do? They will live, reproduce and root in your backyard. They can’t change their environment, you changed theirs. They’re just an animal, to be disposed of as we destroy their world for the sake of real estate and mankind’s bloat. You should see what they do to wild hogs in other parts of the country, bait them up and blow them up. I’ve seen it. It sucks to be a wild hog now.
JimboXYZ says
About a week ago, someone hit a Tomoka Loop hog. The guy that was getting the road kill out of the road, parked his truck at the side of the road where the curve was. I almost hit the carcass & the guy cleaning the debris off the road in my lane. Thank God I was able to avoid that by going into the oncoming lane with nobody coming the other direction. Glad I do the speed limit, anyone tailgating me probably wouldn’t have been able to swerve like I did at that location. As close as the trees are to the road, there was barely enough space for the worker’s truck to be parked there. I really had no options but to go into the oncoming lane. Again, very fortunate that nobody was there at the same time. Be careful driving out there the wild animals aren’t making driving safe either. Good thing I also drive at non-peak hours, heavier traffic and at the very least I run over a dead carcass of a larger pig, maybe run over a worker or worse yet there’s a head on collision back on the Tomoka Loop ? Just me, but perhaps the road worker needed to put cones warning motorists that he was going to be clearing the road of road kill. Doing it the way that he did on a blind curve like that & people die for a coincidence of being at the wrong place at the wrong time with all the usual safe outs to avoid a collision unavailable to anyone. It’s not an accident when it’s preventable, and I certainly wasn’t driving too fast for weather conditions.
I wonder who was unfortunate to hit that pig, the lump of road kill looked to be +/-150 lbs of porky pig. That would be like hitting a smaller deer and wipe out anyone’s car. Maybe whoever hit it initially was in a taller 4X4 pickup truck with off road wheels ? I suspect even that would sustain vehicle damages ?
PC not again says
Of course, blame those poor animals. When it comes to interacting with wildlife common humans are idiots and bring these problems on themselves. God forbid to suggest, learn how to coexist, or slow development, or invest in wildlife conservation.
Build a f .. fence if you want no wild hogs, or any other wild animals who are still lucky enough to be alive and roam on their own land.
I get the despair of the family who’s loved ones they seek at the cemetery and I feel sorry for them but that disappointment and responsibility should be directed to the business and not on a wild nature.
Urgent time to teach your children to love and respect nature.
Kat says
We continue to sprawl and gobble up the habitat of wild animals and then we blame them. Why don’t we just hunt all the species to extinction? Will you be happy then? While we’re at it why don’t we just keep poisoning the water and the land so we can have pretty green lawns? Are we really the superior species, I can’t believe somebody had the ball to say that. We’re so superior that we’ve pretty much wrecked the world for everybody but the one percent.
Herb says
With all the building the county is planning, thousand of acres. What a shame! We’re pushing all animals out of their natural habit and people complaining about the consequences of doing that.
Shame on all of you complaining!
BIG Neighbor says
I remember back about 15 years ago, someone put out a cage and trapped a huge sow and her baby right at where they eventually built the Woodland trailhead at the end of Oak Trails Boulevard. That was in response to boar rooting actives. That was not paid for by an individual party. The City, County, SJWMD or some inter-agency entity associated to Graham Swamp land management had to have paid for it. I wonder what has changed and who scored our hero-badge and chest to pin it on in the wake of stopping that revenue stream?
Greg says
Palm Coast should let permitted hunters to shoot and kill these hogs. 60 years ago, Jsmetstown N.Y, issued permits for hunters to shoot and kill rats at the city dump. Issues permits to do the same with the hogs.
Concerned says
When we first moved to Palm Coast in the early 2000s I remember seeing signs posted along highway 100 for hog hunts. Now that they have a hunt for bears that are being rooted out of their environment and having to forage for food in neighborhoods, why can’t they do the same thing with these hogs Organize hog hunts the meat from hogs would be a great source of protein for some food banks and people would be able to eat the meat. It wouldn’t be a total waste. Just wondering how those organize hog hunts early on were organized and now you never hear about them anymore.
Bob says
We once raised a Yorkshire-Hamshire cross as a pet, and at >700 pounds we learned that there’s nothing happier than a pig Poptarts. So, if we lay a trail of Poptarts from here to Texas, they will self-deport, and fortunately, they ruin our crops, not harvest them for us.
Ed Genaux says
What good is trapping, many eat the wild hogs but not recommended due to parasites making cooking at higher temps. Anyway hog/pig meat is bad for ones health due to the meat is just fatty very bad for the heart. I know many will say the meat of hogs has been on the table like bacon and hams etc. but wait till you get old and have clogged arteries you never think about when young. There should be hog hunts in given places all year or like many places they have traps like cages and then do the harvest thing by putting them down. Then you could put in a trench on farms for fertilizer.
Everyone thinks it is killing but not for when a wild animal is taken it is harvesting, for us who deer, squirrel, rabbit, birds even fishing it is called harvesting. Today everyone goes to a store and are used to it never having to go get dinner for themselves.
Find a good use for the carcass and have open seasons and places.
Up in Pa. deer cause so many car accidents they will let hunters who qualify to be good shots to hunt year round. In southern states like Ms. and Al. in the old days you could only have five rounds in your gun today you can have a semiauto with a 20 round clip BECAUSE of the hog problems when farmers and hunters having run ins with the hogs and for their protection.
Pogo says
@25 Comments
… added up to what? And yes, my flip crack about Elmer Fudd, made no large contribution.
Consider this:
There will be blood (and guts and gore that the squeamish don’t even imagine — that doesn’t dispose of itself)
https://www.google.com/search?q=slaughtering+wild+hog
Make what will.
Donny says
You also must purchase a permit and gain permission to transport a live hog.
But correct humans must change and find a way to live within the environment not destroy habitats and ecosystems for the profits of a few. Mineral rights, water, air, even knowledge itself is beholden to profits for a select few. People would rather go extinct than to regulate billionaires? Rise up against the fascism and authoritarianism the republicans are forcing upon you!
Cali says
@Tulip. Yes the hogs cause damage, when foraging for food. Folks need to remember that they were here first. What good are they…..they are a good food source. They can be hunted year round if I’m not mistaken, as long as you have a hunting license. License or not, folks are not allowed to just shoot them when they see one. They can be eaten, once they are processed (cleaned, cut, etc.) and are delicious. You are entitled to your opinion, as we live in the free USA. Having lived here for 50 years I’ve seen the amount of wildlife decrease. With building we see the wildlife closer to our homes.