Feral pigs are running amok in New Zealand’s capital, tormenting residents and destroying local wildlife.
“It’s a murder scene,” said Naomi Steenkamp, the co-owner of a goat milk farm in Brooklyn, less than 2 miles from Wellington’s commerce center.
The local told the Guardian that she had lost about 60 goats to the beasts in the last few month alone.
“If they find something they like eating, and it is a free feed — like a newborn kid — they are going to keep coming back,” she said.
Last month, Steenkamp’s husband shot and killed a 260-pound porker that penetrated their fence.
The goat milk farmer shared a photo of the dead hog on social media — only to open the floodgates.
“It was crazy how many people came out of the woodwork saying that they had pigs in their garden, pigs bailing up their dogs,” she told the outlet.
“One guy was feeding them and thought it was pretty cool, until it charged him.”
Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard Maclean admitted that “there has clearly been an upsurge” in the city’s feral pig population.
Originally descended from pigs brought over on colonial ships in the 18th century, the destructive animals are now established across about one-third of the island nation.
Aside from frightening residents and intimidating pets, the feral animals are disrupting the council’s efforts to regenerate the bush around Brooklyn and revitalize local avian life.
“I want kiwi in my backyard eventually…but we need to get on top of pigs,” Steenkamp said.
“It is an isolated pocket that has got out of control.”
While the city contracts a hunter to cull pests in the area annually, the council’s rights do not extend to private property.
“You can’t go on to private land without permissions from the owner, so it is hard to control what is happening there,” Maclean explained.
However, he also warned against residents taking the issue into their own hands.
“[We don’t] want people to suddenly think they can get in there and start helping out, taking in guns and dogs,” he said.
“We want to avoid total mayhem and conflict and keep everyone safe.”
New Zealand is not the only place struggling to keep feral pigs at bay. In June, The Post reported on a woman who was attacked by a boar on a Spanish beach.
Footage of the incident showed screaming bystanders running out of the hog’s way as it charged the woman, who later required medical attention. It was unclear what happened to the animal after the attack.
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