| 1 | 1 | | 81R30910 JH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Flynn H.R. No. 1900 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The State of Texas is renowned for the diversity of |
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| 7 | 7 | | its animal population, and select species have become iconic |
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| 8 | 8 | | symbols for certain cities and regions in the state; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Residents of the town of Ben Wheeler in Van Zandt |
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| 10 | 10 | | County have come to enjoy an animal that has become a plentiful |
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| 11 | 11 | | resident of the local area: the feral hog; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, Often called wild hogs, these hardy creatures can |
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| 13 | 13 | | trace their Texas lineage back to the 1680s, when Spanish colonists |
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| 14 | 14 | | brought domesticated hogs into the area; the animals inevitably |
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| 15 | 15 | | escaped their human owners from time to time and established packs |
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| 16 | 16 | | in the wild; more recently, Eurasian wild boars were released in |
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| 17 | 17 | | Texas in the 1900s for hunting purposes, and those that eluded the |
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| 18 | 18 | | sportsmen likewise found a home in the wilderness and mated with the |
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| 19 | 19 | | already existing feral swine; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Resourceful, fast-breeding, and able to eat almost |
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| 21 | 21 | | anything, feral hogs have spread to nearly all parts of the state |
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| 22 | 22 | | and have an estimated population of two million; while they can |
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| 23 | 23 | | cause various kinds of agricultural and environmental damage, they |
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| 24 | 24 | | are also a popular and challenging quarry for hunters, and this |
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| 25 | 25 | | sport can have a sizable economic impact in certain areas; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, East Texas has proven a favorite home for the hogs, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and this is particularly true of the area around Ben Wheeler; the |
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| 28 | 28 | | town has chosen to celebrate the presence of these quick-witted |
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| 29 | 29 | | animals, and the feral hog image has already become strongly |
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| 30 | 30 | | associated with the community; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, In 2008, residents staged the first annual Fall |
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| 32 | 32 | | Feral Hawg Festival; the event drew some 5,000 people to enjoy a |
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| 33 | 33 | | range of special activities, including the Hawg Queen Pageant, a |
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| 34 | 34 | | parade, a feral hog barbecue cook-off, "kiss the pig" contests, and |
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| 35 | 35 | | more; the festival takes place on the fourth weekend in October each |
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| 36 | 36 | | year and offers a fun-filled tribute to the area's flat-snouted |
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| 37 | 37 | | inhabitants; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, Ben Wheeler's efforts to honor feral hogs and its |
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| 39 | 39 | | proximity to the fertile habitats where they roam have given the |
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| 40 | 40 | | community a special relationship with this distinctive animal, and |
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| 41 | 41 | | this status is indeed deserving of special recognition; now, |
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| 42 | 42 | | therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 44 | 44 | | Legislature hereby recognize the feral hog as the mascot of the town |
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| 45 | 45 | | of Ben Wheeler. |
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