Wild pig damage in Coyote Valley, between San Jose and Morgan Hill, in the Bay Area.

All local hikers are familiar with them. Ochre yellow or caramel brown, they stand tall at the entrances of dozens of preserves and state parks in the Bay Area, serving as a stark warning: If you want to enjoy the bounty of wildflowers, rolling hills and scenic vistas, there are threats you need to contend with. They usually range from rattlesnake warnings and mountain lion territory notices to coyote alerts, but according to local wildlife experts, there’s a larger peril in the region.

Weighing up to 200 pounds, California’s wild pigs live in 56 out of 58 counties. These hybrid creatures — part domesticated pig, part wild boar — have been wreaking havoc throughout the state for the past century, tearing up sensitive habitats and increasingly, posing a safety hazard to humans. 

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“From a public standpoint, pigs, in some ways, can be the most aggressive or dangerous of all animals you might encounter in our area,” Aaron Hebert, natural resources manager for Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, told SFGATE over the phone Tuesday morning. According to Hebert, there were two reports of pig encounters on local trails last year. One pig followed someone aggressively, while another one attempted to charge at a hiker. Neither encounter was physical, but “those are obviously very scary situations,”........

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