20060421 - Greg Whidden has earned his nickname. Dogs wailing, "Spook" jumps on his horse and vanishes into the woods, chasing down elusive and wily wild hogs inside Kissimmee Praire State Preserve. They do not go gently into that good night. At 54,000 acres, the preserve is a showcase of delicate wire grass, banana-colored wildflowers, gator-infested sloughs and mysterious hammocks that serve as a veritable box of animal crackers for endangered species. Hogs are anything but endangered. In Florida, they are something like the computer virus of the mammal world, known for a voracious appetite for fragile native plants, birds, snakes and small animals. A couple of hungry hogs, rooting for vittles during the wee hours, can turn a lush field into a moonscape by sunrise. The state hires folks such as Whidden to get rid of them. (Times photo by Brian Cassella; Text by Jeff Klinkenberg)
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