On a quiet street in the town of Kona on the island of Hawaii, close to the Lutheran church my parents attend during the winter months resides this house. What is so special about this house you may ask. Well it is in front of vacant land and beside reserve space and has a 300’ rock wall adjacent to it. Wild pigs come over the wall on a regular basis.
Brenda Kuessner told me after service on Sunday that in the past four years they have trapped 45 pigs. She met some local Hawaiian farmers that live up country and explained to them that she had these pigs continuing to show up in a open area behind and beside her house. She had previously called the local police, who could do nothing. Brenda then called the State who brought in a small pig trap, which the pigs broke out of. So when she connected with local farmers a deal was made. They brought a reinforced pig trap about 4 x 6 and placed it in the open area behind her home. Inside the trap fruits are tossed in as a way to entice the pigs to enter, once inside the door slides shut.
When pigs are trapped Brenda would call the local farmers they would come down the hill and lasso the pigs, place them in the back of trucks and take them back to their farms. The pigs are kept in pens and given ample feed to fatten them up. Once they have grown these same local farmers sell the pigs for luaus or special occasions.
No cash ever traded hands between the farmers and Brenda but it was a win win situation for both of them.
I was able to see the rock wall that the pigs jump over and one of the traps behind Brendas’ place. The area beside her house is filled with dense bush, which is why the pigs love to jump the wall into the open area where there is an abundance of fruit trees.
Over the years the wild pigs have caused lots of damage in her yard. They root up her trees and even break off sprinkler heads, she has replaced one numerous times. The pigs like to chew them off and then roll around in the cool water that seeps out.
Brenda recalls one time when a bigger sow was chewing off a recently replaced sprinkler head, she was so mad she stormed out into the backyard with a broom yelling at the sow. Once closer to the sow it was Brenda who backed down as the sow was not budging.
Usually in the trap only one pig was caught at a time however there was one occasion there were three smaller pigs captured at one time.
Brenda also recalls a time she made a loud banging noise and a small group of pigs all ran and leaped over the rock wall so fast she said “it almost looked like they were flying pigs.”
Kuessner commented that she hears the pigs in evening and more often very early in the morning usually between 2 and 3 am.
She is not sure what will happen in the future if the locals no longer provide a trap as she doesn’t want to hurt them however, but doesn’t want any more damage on her property either.
Many have suggested deterrents but so far none have worked.
Ironically Brenda’s home is not very far from where I first met Beauregarde and Romeo many years earlier. •
— By Laurie Brandly

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