Stirring up a mix of laughs and concerns on the course, a golf club near Duncan is dealing with a pig predicament that’s quickly become a familiar sight for staff and golfers alike.
“They seem to be arriving every day here over the last few months,” said Norm Jackson, head golf professional at Cowichan Golf Club.
At any given time, there could be five to a dozen moseying around, according to Jackson, who tells CHEK News the escaped pigs and piglets started arriving sometime in April.
“They come in the morning, and you’ll see them in the evening, but it’s random when they show up,” he said. “I was out playing on Sunday and it was about 3:30 or 4 p.m., and they were out there.”
For the club, the uninvited guests are proving costly.
“They’re doing some rooting, and at this point, it’s probably in the thousand dollar range to fix it up,” said Jackson.
“Fortunately, they’re not doing it on the greens, but they are in some fairways and off the edges of the fairways. They’re causing quite a mess.”
But the swine aren’t straying too far, notes Jackson. In fact, he says they reside just next door.
“They actually come from a property across the way from the golf club. There’s a little gully and then there’s a property across the way,” he explained.
“This is the second bout we’ve had. We got it rectified almost two years ago and it went away, but now they’ve returned. It’s concerning.”
Jackson says the club is working through bylaws and has reached out to “different bodies” to sort out the situation.
“It’s just trying to weave our way through it and hoping someone can help us,” he said.
In the meantime, there’s been no disruption of play at the club.
“Many of the members are keeping their space from them, and at this point, we’ve had no instances where the pigs have become territorial. People have kept their distance,” added Jackson.
“For some golfers, I think they’re a little bit frightened. And others get a giggle out of it. But the biggest concern is for everybody’s safety — the humans and the animals.”
Ethan Morneau
