Finally! - I Figured Out What it Was

I Finally figured out what it was!

I wasn't sure. It ran out in front of the truck a few weeks ago when I was driving from San Antonio to Austin. I had to pull over to the side of the road, because it scared me so bad I had to clutch myself.

Now - things have run in front of my vehicle before - Jack Rabbits, possums, skunks, racoons, snakes (althought not technically "running") squirrels, rats, dogs, cats, small children, even an armadillo. (oh and a stray gator in Louisiana).

But because I didn't know what this thing was - I was a little shaken.

Then, I was having lunch with another California transplant who was telling a horrendous story about how his dog killed one of these things. He didn't know what it was either. It kinda looked like a wild boar. Turns out it's not even a swine relative at all. A neighbor told him.. "yep. that's a hav-ah-leen-ah" (you know. in that slowish texas drawl).

Well, he didn't know what to do with it either. In Sacramento - I don't know I've ever had a dead Javalina in the front yard - stinkin up the place. (Apparently - they smell way before they're dead).

So my California-transplant friend called around to find out what one does when one has a dead Peccary fertilizing the lawn. It appears from our fine folks at animal control - or the Texas equivalent of - that what ya need isn't an animal control professional. What ya need - is a buzzard.

Now, I've seen these. When driving down a back road through hill country with the top down, you occassionally see them circling. You can even see them take flight from the road - which is a warning that there's one of them there Peccarys or armadillo's that didn't dodge a pickup truck fast enough. They are big birds! And ugly.

Sure enough my California-transplant friend waited and after a few days, like a prophecy spelled out ona ouja board, the buzzards came! In just a days time, no carcass left! So - there ya go. For all of my friends in California who wouldn't know what to do if a Javalina was in your yard or what was even is - consider yourself educated.