Aluminum fencing can protect pets and children while giving them an outdoor space to enjoy. And with the right aesthetics, it can also enhance your curb appeal.
But can aluminum fences protect you from wild animals? Can aluminum fencing protect you against wild boars, coyotes, and alligators?
In this article, we’ll explore each animal and what you can do to enhance your fence for maximum protection.
Can Aluminum Fencing Protect You against Wild Boars?
Where do wild boars live?
Wild boars (also known as feral hogs) are widely distributed across the continental US. They prefer forests, agricultural lands, marshes, and shrublands— really anywhere with access to water. You might think they only bother people living in rural areas, but they are increasingly found in suburban areas.
What threat do wild boars pose?
They are highly invasive, meaning they can really mess up an entire ecosystem. They are mainly attracted to agriculture and can wreck farms by rooting and foraging. So, if you’re growing a nice vegetable garden, they might raid it.
Wild boars are known to attack, injure, and even kill dogs. They normally avoid conflict, but if they are threatened or protecting their young, they will get aggressive. They can even attack people if provoked.
How do I protect my property against wild boars?
Luckily, they can’t climb fences. And thankfully, aluminum is strong enough to withstand their attacks. But they might push over weakened areas of fencing. Ensure that your fence posts are securely in the ground.
However, wild boars are great at digging. If motivated enough, they’ll dig under a fence, often to get at food. So we recommend adding a metal skirt. This skirt is a common fencing technique used against burrowing animals. Take hardware cloth or wire mesh and attach it to the bottom of the fence. Then extend it outwards and bury it underground.
You could install it straight down, effectively extending your fence underground. However, it is easier to install it diagonally, so you are burying a slope. Aim to bury it at least a foot underground, but we recommend more, as boars can dig up to 30 inches underground.
Metal skirts on your fencing protect you from digging creatures, such as badgers, foxes, and boars.
Can Aluminum Fencing Protect You against Coyotes?
Where do wild coyotes live?
Coyotes live all over the United States, from rural to urban, from deserts to mountains to cities.
What threat do coyotes pose?
They are normally wary of people, but will act very boldly when they smell a food source. Aside from small rodents, they mainly prey on pets and livestock. In fact, a study by the National Park Service found that 20% of urban coyotes’ diet is made up of cats. They will also dig through the garbage for food. Even if you don’t have backyard chickens, outdoor cats, or small dogs, you should still be cautious.
How do I protect my property against coyotes?
Coyotes can jump as high as 6 feet and even scale chain-link fencing. Luckily, you can order aluminum fencing as tall as 8 feet!
We would also recommend a panel design with small gaps, like the eXtra Picket (XP) design. However, it’s not absolutely necessary.
Finally, coyotes can dig. So we highly recommend adding a metal skirt to your fencing.
Can Aluminum Fencing Protect You against Alligators?
Where do wild alligators live?
Gators live in the southeast, in states like Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, the Carolinas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Their natural habitats are freshwater swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, and occasionally brackish water.
What threat do alligators pose?
Story time: I have family that lives in a small Texas town where everyone jokingly recognizes the family of gators as the town council. This family of gators clearly sees this town as their territory and couldn’t care less about people.
They’ll walk in the middle of the road, halting traffic. They’ll climb trees, forcing people to stay out of public parks. And they’ll even make you late for work by basking on your front porch. The town even gave them nicknames like Smiley and Runner.
Moral of the story: alligators do whatever the heck they want. They will even eat pets, from dogs to cats to livestock. They’ll eat anything that can fit inside their jaws.
How do I protect my property against alligators?
Believe it or not, alligators are great at climbing trees. Aluminum fencing… not so much. However, we recommend tall fences with closely spaced vertical slats.
Aluminum can withstand an alligator’s strength. However, if they find a loose fence post, they may persistently try to push it over. Therefore, ensure your posts are securely installed by regularly maintaining them.
Alligators can dig, and they’re good at it, too. They’ll normally dig deep burrows as shelter near their waterlands. However, they will occasionally try to dig shallowly under obstacles to obtain food. So once again, we recommend adding a skirt under your fence.
If you do come face-to-face with a wild boar, coyote, or gator…
First, stay away. Keep a safe distance. Seek shelter if you can. Call your local authorities or your state’s wildlife agency. For example, Florida has its own hotline for alligator encounters.
Enjoy the great outdoors and stay safe with an aluminum fence!
