Hogs on the Quad

On a campus visited by alligators, brown bears, panthers, and poisonous snakes, it’s evidently the pigs that are causing problems. Donna Rodriguez says in a lawsuit that she was chased down by wild pigs two years ago at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The complaint says that “wild boars” caused Ms. Rodriguez, then a student at the school, “to fall to the ground,” leaving her with pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, and “loss of the capacity for the enjoyment of life.” Her husband, Carlos Rodriguez, is also suing the university, claiming that Ms. Rodriguez’s injuries caused him “to suffer an impairment of the services, companionship and consortium of the spouse.”

Susan C. Evans, the university’s spokeswoman, says the university does not comment on pending litigation, and the Rodriguez’s lawyer did not return phone calls from The Chronicle.

Situated on a campus that is more than half wildlife preserve and wetlands, the university lists environmental education as one of its founding principles. Students must take an environmental-education course, one of the goals of which is to provide “an understanding of the unique ecological features of the Southwest Florida environment.”

Among those ecological features are the wild pigs, which have lived in the area since conquistadors brought them from Spain nearly 500 years ago, says Edwin M. Everham III, an associate professor of marine and ecological sciences. The pigs are omnivores that usually run away from humans, not toward them, says Mr. Everham, adding that pigs that have been given food by humans may approach in hopes of handouts, but that if you clap or raise your voice the animals will scamper off in fear.

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http://chronicle.com Section: Short Subjects Volume 53, Issue 4, Page A6