MELBOURNE, Fla. — A veteran wildlife trapper was almost killed this week after a wild pig attacked him in Brevard County.
- Wild pig attack nearly killed trapper James Dean
- Dean said he was trying to keep it away from children
- Wild pig attacked him after it got loose from his truck
James Dean says he was trying to keep the wild boar away from kids at a bus stop in Melbourne when the attack happened.
Dean has 20 years of experience trapping wild pigs, so he didn’t think twice when a concerned father called him for help.
“This particular pig was chasing his daughters near a bus stop,” Dean said.
Dean put out a trap, then came back to get the wild boar. But he says the pig was so aggressive that when he tried to load it from the trap to his truck, it got loose and attacked him.
“I was scared at one point, I’m not going to lie, because I’ve never had a pig attack me like this one did,” Dean said.
The wild pig tore deep wounds into Dean’s legs and arms. Dean said he worried at one point whether he would survive.
“The bleeding wouldn’t stop,” Dean described.
Dean says wild pigs roaming across the country have become a huge problem for farmers. Now, he says they’re threatening more populated areas.
“My No. 1 concern is the safety of the community,” Dean said. “There’s elderly people who walk their dogs and children at bus stops.”
And that’s why he says despite this attack, he won’t stop trapping.
“No, been doing this for over 20 years,” Dean said. “This is something I enjoy doing.”
Dean says that before he was taken to the hospital, he made sure the homeowner shot and killed the wild pig so it wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
He’s out of the hospital, but he says it may be a little while before he’s healed up enough to go back to work.