So Hog-Tied by Red Tape, We’re Helpless to Help

George Bush Park, a 7800 acre city park in western Harris County, Texas, is a fabulous place for a photographer to hike. I’ve spent countless hours out there in the bayous and woods, and some of my finest images were taken there. From snakes (venemous and non) to alligators to banana spiders, there’s all manner of wildlife; every visit brings an encounter of one type of another.

There’s one animal out there, though, that I prefer to view from a distance: the feral hog.

It’s estimated that the population runs anywhere from 10,000 and 15,000 hogs living in the park, and they reproduce so fast that Harris County has run into an animal control problem. They’re such a nuisance that earlier this year, the County Commissioner tried to come up with ways to reduce the population — and to feed the hungry as well.

Laudable idea… and nearly impossible to implement.

Hunters for the Hungry, a statewide wild game donation program, does not accept feral hogs because it is too difficult to find a processor who adheres to all the state rules, program coordinator Anitra Hendricks said.

“There’s just not any easy way or profitable way to get a group together to do this,” said Barbara Anderson, state director of the Texas Food Bank Network.

Last I heard, the pigs were still free-ranging the park, and the local food banks were not offering wild pork on their menus.

We’re hog-tied by red tape — a point that was brought home yet again yesterday when I came across the story of Sunny Acres in San Luis Obispo County (LA Times):

A San Luis Obispo rancher who for years has illegally housed homeless people was ordered today to serve 90 days in jail.

A defiant Dan de Vaul stretched out his arms and let deputies place handcuffs on him before being led out of the San Luis Obispo courtroom. The 66-year-old defendant was offered probation after a jury convicted him in September of two misdemeanor violations of building and safety codes at his Sunny Acres ranch.

But De Vaul refused the terms of his probation because he said it would mean he could no longer provide shelter for about 30 people who reside in his sober-living facility. For eight years, he’s operated the program on his 72-acre ranch, housing clients in mobile homes, tents, garden sheds and an aging Victorian home.

I spent hours reading up on Mr. De Vaul last night and this morning, trying to understand both sides of this issue. Local comments on his story were enlightening, and images of encroaching suburbs helped clarify some of the conflicts. Ultimately, though, I came away with an unfortunate conclusion: One cannot help people anymore on one’s own terms.

Yes, there are reasons — often, good ones — for safety regulations. But the flip side is that we also have social problems in this country that can be met more directly (and often more efficiently) by fellow citizens. Government, with its increasing powers to protect us from ourselves, is standing in its own way, and it both frustrates and worries me.

I don’t know what the solution is to these questions or problems. I do know, though, that if it’s happening in places as disparate as Houston, TX and San Luis Obispo, CA, it’s probably everywhere.