ATLANTA — Wild pigs have descended on a suburban Atlanta neighborhood, where they are routinely seen rummaging through garbage, trotting around in backyards, and sleeping on front lawns. 

Descendents of wild boar, the feral pigs seem to have become pests in rural Georgia in recent years, earning a reputation for damaging farmer’s crop. The hogs can be dangerous to humans if they are cornered or if their young are threatened. Some of them are even seen traveling in packs of three or four.

Taneisha Danner, who owns a house in Lithonia, an area about 19 miles east of downtown Atlanta, says her kids are terrified to go outside, because the wild pigs have taken over her neighborhood.

“My children are even afraid to be downstairs, worried that he (the pig) could come through the door,” Danner said.

She says she and numerous other neighbors have contacted local authorities about the hogs, but were told to hire a private trapper to take care of the problem.