OVIEDO, Fla. — Monday through Friday, Joe Wheeley runs what he calls his “day job,” in screen repair.
- Trapper trapped over 300 wild pigs in 16 months
- Pigs get sent to farms, families, or released in other areas
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After work, when the sun goes down, he becomes a different gladiator of sorts — a professional animal trapper, targeting the growing wild pig population in Seminole County.
“You may not think you are going to have pigs in your neighborhood, but if a part of the Econ flows up into your neighborhood, like across the street here on Lockwood, you can have the pigs in your backyard," he explains. "They are just using the source of water and traveling with it.”
In just 16 months, Joe says he has trapped over 300 wild pigs. He says he can’t get over the wild journey.
Joe has 24-hour video surveillance of areas where pigs have rooted the ground on a regular basis. He can see the live feed on his phone, and knows he has a few hours to get to the spot after he first spots a pig.
Helping Joe capture the pigs are his hounds, specially trained in tracking and cornering a pig until he can get there to tie them or handcuff them up.
After the wild pigs are caught, Joe will either release them farther into the wetlands, donate them to farms, or give them to families in need.