The Swim

Amarillo; Thursday, November 1, 2012

The first day of November brought beautiful blue skies to Amarillo. It had been nearly seven weeks since the bloodletting attack on the dog kennel. Although the incident had not been forgotten, state officials, including Animal Control, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, Texas Wildlife Services Program, and the county sheriff were unable to agree upon a solution: a remedy that would effectively eradicate a significant percentage of the wild hogs without compromising or endangering other wildlife or the environment. One resident, employed by Bell Helicopter, suggested that hunters destroy the vermin with automatic rifles from the air.  

He argued, “If Governor Palin could hunt in Alaska from a chopper, why the hell can’t Texans do the same?”  

The entire council readily agreed. “Kill the damn irritants from the air!”

But when the number crunchers revealed the total expenditures, the votes were instantly null and void. The insurance cost alone would require more than the entire discretionary budget allocated for the next two years. There was no simple solution. Everyone merely hoped the problem would just cease to exist; nevertheless, all parties remained uneasy. The fact that a horde of wild boars could decimate a kennel, leaving fencing and poles in a tangled web and devour three dozen dogs of various sizes and breeds was unsettling to say the least. The graphic images of the onslaught still resonated throughout the community. A kennel in complete shambles, minute blood stains splattered over the entire complex and few, if any, remains to be found. And then . . .

Early that afternoon, a trio of boars ran wild through the urban streets of Amarillo. Initially, the scenario was as chaotic as a scene from the Keystone Cops. The first news team to arrive reported the chase involved both the Amarillo Police and Animal Control Departments. The reporter stated that two adult hogs and one piglet ran unfettered through neighborhoods, rummaging through yards, knocking over patio furniture, potted plants, and outdoor grills. She then detailed how the hogs couldn’t resist rooting for potatoes and were almost cornered in a small garden in a resident’s backyard. The police, however, were reluctant to fire upon the beasts in such a densely populated area, and in a matter of minutes the boars were off and running to their next random destination.  

People were amused by the sight of three pigs darting through the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings and then down the busy thoroughfare before arriving at John S. Stiff Memorial Park, southwest of downtown Amarillo. The pigs ran by the playground, skateboard park, and picnic areas before leaping into the small lake and swimming to the other side. Fortunately for the pursuers, the swim across McDonald Lake provided them time to position themselves to safely destroy the trio. Unfortunately, dozens of people—all recognizing a prime photo opportunity when they saw it—ignored police orders and flocked to the area surrounding the lake. Until this time, the hogs had not displayed any aggression toward the spectators and had attempted to avoid any contact whatsoever. But that changed in an instant.

Unwilling to fire with so many people nearby, Animal Control snared the piglet as it emerged from the lake just seconds after the adult hogs. Its squeals alerted the two full-grown boars, who immediately wheeled around to see the two men struggling to restrain the piglet by its hind legs. In an instant, from no more than thirty yards away, both beasts were in full sprint toward the officers. It all happened so quickly that the men had barely let go of the piglet before the female boar, weighing nearly two hundred fifty pounds, struck the first officer full force, sending him sprawling and screaming in agony. The second officer barely avoided being pummeled, only to witness the largest hog that had just missed him turn on a dime and take aim at his colleague lying on his side withering in pain. The male boar slammed into the fallen assistant, sending its spike-like tusks into his midsection. The startled shrieks of the witnesses drowned out the cries of the victim. Just moments before, the onlookers had been entertained by the spectacle of police and Animal Control clumsily chasing two hogs and a piglet through the streets, residents’ yards, and the park; then helplessly watching as the animals swam across the lake. Now the bystanders were terrified.  

When the nearest police officer fired a shot into the air, the boars went on the run again. As they sprinted across two empty soccer fields, officers on foot gave chase while a squad car jumped the curb, quickly accelerated, and rumbled across the open field in fervent pursuit. The animals, in unfamiliar territory, found themselves cornered, unable to bypass the park’s bordering fence. Determined to escape, they violently spun their massive bodies around and faced the oncoming vehicle. The officers immediately stopped their squad car, flung open their doors, and took dead aim at the agitated hogs. Less than twenty yards away, the two adult boars charged again. Without hesitation, the officers peppered the enraged animals with their .40 caliber Glock 22 handguns. The female hog collapsed on the third shot, but the male didn’t succumb until the fifth bullet scored a direct hit to his neck. The hog fell just feet from the officers. The piglet trailing behind was destroyed seconds later by back-to-back shots.

Within minutes, a cadre of police, media, and witnesses swarmed the area. Sirens had quieted, but a multitude of flashing lights created a surreal setting. The wounded Animal Control officer was placed on a stretcher and put into one of the three ambulances that had arrived. A significant amount of blood trickled from his stomach wounds, but perhaps the most gruesome of his injuries was to his shin where the powerful boar had struck him in full stride just below the knee. The compound fracture exposing his protruding tibia bone was evidence of the strength and fury of the species. Those gathering around the scene pushed and shoved their way through the crowd in their attempts to get close-up shots of the dead animals, which immediately made their way online. Despite the officer’s condition, most ignored his plight, except to take photographs with their cell phones of his battered body being loaded onto the gurney and into the ambulance. Instead, everyone was more interested in the boars. The media shouted out questions to any officer who looked their way.

“Where did the boars come from?”  

“Were they exotic pets that escaped?”

“Weren’t they in a garden less than a half-mile from here?”  

“Why didn’t the police shoot them earlier?”  

“Did you have to shoot the piglet?”

Next Chapter: Viral