Two hikers in Texas were frightened when they heard what sounded like a feral pig in the night, officials say. It was anything but.
The man and woman had gone to Government Canyon State Natural Area in San Antonio, an urban state park on the north side of the city, to enjoy its 40 miles of trails. But they feared a wild hog was on their tail, so they climbed a tree to safety and the woman called 911 close to midnight June 21, officials said in a news release.
San Antonio police alerted the park officers, who tried but failed to track the hikers at their last known location, officials said. A park officer was able to call the woman on her cellphone, according to the release.
"She urged him to please hurry because an animal she believed to be a wild pig was nearby and growling," the news release said.
The park officer flipped on his sirens in hopes that the hikers could hear him, but they could not, officials said. So, the woman shared her location through an iPhone text message, allowing the officer to hike to where the hikers had taken cover in the tree, officials said.
The woman warned the officer that the feral pig was still close by, officials said. It was growling just minutes before the officer arrived, she said, according to the release.
Just then, the hikers heard a sound, officials said. The officer asked whether that was the same sound that caused them to climb a tree, and both the man and the woman nodded, according to the release.
That's when the officer realized the sound the hikers believed to be a feral pig actually was cars crossing rumble strips on a nearby road, officials said.
He told the hikers and both seemed embarrassed by the mistaken threat, according to the release.
The officer reassured them that "the unknown can be scary and their reaction surprisingly common," according to the release.
