JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A dead hog mystery in Mayport.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Fishing is one of Jayne Bennett Bohannon’s favorite things to do. She’s been keeping her lines tight basically her whole life. However, in the past two months, she’s seen something awfully unusual.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“I was just concerned about why? Why are they dying? I’ve never seen any hogs come up on the beach,” she said.
She says she’s seen four dead wild hogs out of nowhere, three of them all found in the same area of Little Jetties near Naval Station Mayport.
“One, I could say okay he got hit by a car on intracoastal bridge, two, hm, you know. Three? Hm. Four?” Bennett Bohannon said curiously.
Read: FL Department of Health issues rabies alert for Wesconnett area in Jacksonville
She says the first one she spotted near the intracoastal bridge on Atlantic Blvd. The other three were all found within 500 feet of each other in the sand at the beach area of Little Jetties near Naval Station Mayport. She said it feels like every two weeks she seems to see one.
The strangest part to her is only one looked to be hit by a car, adding that they don’t seem water-logged or eaten by any other animals. One appeared to have some fur missing in the neck area.
“It’s sad and to see four of them throws a red flag to me,” she said.
Action News Jax spoke with FWC over the phone, who said they haven’t received any calls regarding this but would investigate it if they get an official call and complaint.
Action News Jax also reached out to the city to hear about animal control procedures. They told us they don’t handle wild hogs but do pick up dead wild and domestic animals on roads except for state roads.
They added, “in general, if we notice a trend picking up, deceased wild animals that seem suspicious of infectious disease or other causes of death, ACPS standard procedure is to notify FWC of the concern.”
Read: Deputies help reunite pig on the loose with its family in Florida
For Bennett Bohannon, she’s hoping she doesn’t see any more soon.
“My main concern is if there is a disease or if someone is shooting them purposely,” she said.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Action News Jax also spoke with an associate biology professor, who didn’t want to do an interview, but when we explained the fishers’ concerns, he called the circumstances bizarre.