The animals are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boars with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a "super pig" that's spreading out of control.

An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.

In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boars with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a “super pig” that’s spreading out of control.

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”

  • Candelestine@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5411·
    1 year ago

    At least they sound like a viable game animal. Invasive species to you, 100lbs of free pork for Billy out in the woods. We use it to control deer populations from exploding in certain areas where we’ve removed the top predator though, and we just kinda take its place. Can potentially help with any animal that has the misfortune of being both tasty and economical to go out and hunt for.

    Won’t eradicate them or anything, but will help keep them in check. It’s a facet of that old alliance between hunters/fishermen and environmental activists.

    • khannie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      521·
      1 year ago

      Unfortunately they’ll still see population growth…

      That means 65% or more of a wild pig population could be killed every year and it will still increase, Brook said. Hunting just makes the problem worse, he said. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3% and several states have banned hunting because it makes the pigs more wary and nocturnal — tougher to track down and eradicate.

      • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
        23·
        1 year ago

        They are clever animals. You have to play the long con if you want to deal with their populations. Ive seen things where they actually feed them and gradually pen them in and the liquidate the whole drove.

        • Jaysyn@kbin.social
          151·
          1 year ago

          My family in GA does a lot of this. They are farmers & have been successful in keeping feral hogs out of their fields. Hunting & trapping absolutely does work, you just have to know what the hell you’re doing.

      • Candelestine@lemmy.worldEnglish
        121·
        1 year ago

        I shoulda opened the article instead of just reading the synopsis. That is concerning.

        I’ll point out though, that since it’s a new prey animal to the area, it will take time for the locals to learn how to hunt it effectively. It’s behavior needs to be learned first, so effective approaches can be devised.

        But … delicious, economical and challenging is also something a hunter might find interesting.

      • Treczoks@lemmy.world
        52·
        1 year ago

        All the more bacon! And something useful to do for all those trigger-happy Americans.

      • interceder270@lemmy.world
        22·
        1 year ago

        People have been setting up cages with bait and trapping them by the dozens.

        You’re blowing this way out of proportion.