The third tee at the Almaden Country Club has seen much better days. It has been torn to shreds by wild pigs.
Ted Barikmo lives in the neighborhood and took video of the pigs in his yard. He told us, "Years ago, you would see them once in a while, very rarely and they'd smell you and they would run. Now they're a little more brazen and they look at you and they don't really mind seeing you."
Country club general manager Robert Sparks is fed up with the animals. He told us, "We've had an invasion of about up to about 40 wild pigs onto the club property. We're talking anywhere from about 200-300 lb., large pigs, the males with tusks."
Sparks said the pigs are coming from the mountain and unfortunately, the club's fence isn't stopping them. They're going underneath. So they put up a second, stronger fence that runs along the golf course. However, there are several ways the pigs can get on the course.
Sparks said they're leaving the dry mountains looking for a water source. "They're extracting water from the grass, from the roots, from the insects underneath, the grub, earthworms."
Besides the extensive and expensive damage to the course and neighborhood lawns, there's a bigger concern.
"We've had stories of the pigs out on the street encountering joggers, dogs, people walking children and people are concerned about the safety of their children," said Sparks.
Sparks has reached out to local government agencies and is waiting to find out what can be done to stop the pigs.
