Hunters kill 39 hogs in pilot hunt

Hunters removed 39 wild hogs from Deer Prairie Creek Preserve during the controversial pilot hunt held Dec. 11 through Dec. 13, according to an email from Sarasota County Natural Resources General Manager Amy Meese to County Administrator Randall Reid.

Animal rights activists protested the Southwest Florida Water Management District permitted hunt before Sarasota County commissioners approved the plan during a July 10 meeting.

Speakers during the open to the public section showed videos of hunters killing the hogs, and cited dangers to dogs used to hunt the invasive species.

Proponents of the pilot program said wild hogs threaten native species and damage natural habitat.

“No dogs were injured and all dogs are off the site and accounted for,” Meese wrote in the email.