--- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Dear JFAN Supporters: > > > > There will be a Public Hearing on a proposed 4,800 head hog confinement at 5 > PM this Thursday, August 9th at the Jefferson County Courthouse courtroom. > Ed Elmore and Josh Hellweg have submitted an application to expand their > operation to a 4,800 head hog confinement at 1326 Peach Ave., 7 miles > northeast of Fairfield. This expansion will make this confinement among the > largest in the county. > >
************ Dey got hog hell in Hawaii, too, bruddah!: http://tinyurl.com/33znk3 Some are in hog hell Tuesday, July 24, 2007 11:52 AM HST Pig-friendly residence has neighbors seeing red by Bret Yager Tribune-Herald Staff Writer Turns out, a passel of halftame pigs in Fern Forest is anything but cute and cuddly to some property owners adjacent to Sueo and Sharene Matsumoto's sanctuary for the bristle-backs. The 100 or so critters which gather for food and affection at the 12- acre property also spill onto other lots, leaving a trail of feces and stench, ravaging crops and gardens, even killing dogs, according to reports from neighbors. "I have 13 neighbors who have all had problems," said Paul Claes, who lives on three acres about 300 feet from the Matsumoto property. "Pigs are running through people's yards destroying everything. At feeding time, they sound like something out of a horror movie." Neighbor Maggie Klein said the boars have devoured her medical marijuana and dug up her yard. "I gave up on a garden," she said. "They're an amazing nuisance." The Matsumotos -- who were featured last week in the Tribune-Herald -- said only a couple of neighbors have complained and that they're working hard on putting up a shelter to contain the animals, which hang out like pets and converge in droves at feeding time. To Claes, that's downplaying a rampant problem of pestilent boars tangling with dogs and making noises like something out of a Hannibal Lecter movie. His own strong feelings about the swine are reflected in the fact that he claims to have killed 85 of them on his property in the past year and half. He's approached more than a half-dozen county and state agencies for help. Each has passed the buck, he said, and meanwhile, he and others have taken the matter into their own hands because they have a right to defend their property. "When they create property damage, Matsumoto says they're not his pigs," Claes complained. He sees a particular culprit in one earless old boar that the Matsumotos are particularly fond of. "I watched that 'Bobo' gut my friend's dog," he said. "My Rottweilers ripped the pig's ears off. One of them was on each ear, but I couldn't get to the pig fast enough. This is actually a killer pig." Showdowns between dogs and pigs has led to skirmishes between neighbors as well. At least two individuals have reported seeing Matsumoto walking the roadway with a rifle whenever there's a commotion out there involving one of his pigs. Matsumoto, 81, said he heads out to the potholed gravel road when he hears gunshots, and only carries the rifle in self defense. He vouched for the pigs' gentle temperament as well, saying the only animals doing any chasing or hurting are the dogs. "These pigs are tame. They don't harm anyone," Matsumoto said. "The ones that chase dogs are not our pigs." The conflict is making Klein nervous. "He's very angry with people who kill his pigs," Klein said. "It's a sticky situation. I'm afraid it's going to escalate into violence." At least one neighbor, though, says that rooting pigs are part of the landscape and have to be seen in that local context, and that concerns about tensions and illegal hunting are overblown. "As far as I know, he's not breaking any law by feeding them," added the neighbor, who wished that his name be withheld. "But he may be causing some problems to neighbors who aren't fenced. Nobody's gotten to the point where they're going to shoot somebody." The Matsumotos don't appear to be breaking zoning laws, according to Hawaii County Planning Department officials. Because the pigs are not confined or eaten, the property doesn't qualify as a pig farm, although calls have come in from people wondering if the county could do something about the animals. Confinement, ironically, is exactly what Sueo Matsumoto has in mind. Material has arrived for a fenced pig compound on his property, and he figures he could have it built in a few weeks once he gets started. Fencing the whole property is a long-term goal that could take awhile, the Matsumotos say. "I figure if I put up the compound and keep them confined, people would stop hacking them up," he said. "If I ever get the whole property fenced, then I can let them go." Whether his efforts will satisfy Claes and restore the peace remains to be seen. "Contain the pigs," Claes said. "Limit their population, get a permit for each one. Spay and neuter them. And no feeding of feral pigs, period."
