Hog family hams it up in daylight

River Club resident Kelly Polivchak and her 15-year-old daughter, Zoe, were driving home from The Out-of-Door Academy after school Jan. 31 when they spotted a passel of pigs at the side of the road.

They watched as 20 piglets and their parents paraded across Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, pausing in the median partway through their journey.

Zoe had pulled out her cellphone and captured the moment on video.

“It seem liked they knew where they were going,” Polivchak said with a chuckle. “I thought they were cute. I’ve never seen that many babies together. It was obvious they had a crossing pattern. You could definitely tell the dad went first. Then the mom, then the little ones.”

The crossing has garnered plenty of attention. After a neighbor posted the Polivchaks’ video on Facebook, local news media asked Polivchak to air the video. Polivchak then began getting inquiries from news organizations in Ocala, Gainesville and even Cuba. Viral.com, a video distribution company, bought the rights to the video and posted it on its website, where it’s had more than 2,200 hits since Feb. 6. The figure does not count other outlets that previously showed the video.

Polivchak said her family has been watching for the pigs again, but without success.

“People have messaged me that they have seen them,” Polivchak said of the pig family. “They come and go around those Lake Vista apartments.”

Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority Operations Director Paul Chetlain said Lakewood Ranch has dealt with wild pigs on an ongoing basis but said he had never seen such a large group of pigs traveling together.

“Once in a while over the years since I’ve been here, you’ll hear about a pig being seen in daylight hours, but not a whole 20-plus young pigs crossing Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in the middle of the day,” said Chetlain, who saw Polivchak’s video. “That was unusual.”

Chetlain said the IDA has gotten calls about the pigs’ presence, but not about any damages they’ve caused to community development district property. In years past, when wild pigs began tearing up landscaping, the districts would hire a trapper to reduce the pig population.

Neighbors either think the pigs are cute or are annoyed because pigs tear up people’s yards. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports Florida has no native wild pig population, so any are considered invasive species and can be hunted under proper circumstances.

FWC spokeswoman Tammy Sapp said wild pigs can occur in large groups, or sounders, consisting of multiple adult females and their offspring, including subadults from previous litters.

Wild pigs breed year-round, producing up to two litters each year. Litters range from one to 13 piglets each. The state of Florida has no estimates for wild pig populations.

Wild pigs are primarily nocturnal but also may be active during the day, especially during cooler months, Sapp said.

Jeanne Moschella, property manager for Watercrest Condominiums, said Watercrest residents see the pig family regularly, although not every day. They regularly send her pictures and videos.

Moschella said many residents think the pigs are cute until they learn the pigs ruin landscaping. In 2016, a similar herd of pigs caused about $5,000 worth of damage to turf and plantings at Watercrest.

Watercrest didn’t any see pigs in 2017 or 2018, but this year there are already some damages, Moschella said.

“The whole thing with the pigs is they’re destructive,” Moschella said. “Fingers crossed, they’re not going to ruin the plant life that’s expensive. It’s a repeat of 2016, although there aren’t as many of them.”