The Alberta Invasive Species Council Wants You to 'SQUEAL' on Pigs

► by Megan Evans

Wild boar (also known as feral pigs) are considered to be one of the most damaging invasive species in North America, and their populations in Canada are increasing.

The Root of the Problem

Wild boar were introduced to the Prairies in the 1980s and '90s when producers were encouraged to start farming them for meat. In order to make the animals more suitable as livestock, Eurasian wild boar were bred with domestic hogs. This resulted in a hybrid with the smarts of a wild animal and the reproductive capacity of a livestock species. Over time, some of these animals escaped their enclosures while others were intentionally released because farming wild boar proved difficult and there was little demand for the product.

There are several key characteristics that make wild boar the ultimate invasive species. They have a high reproductive rate (an average of six piglets per litter and a 115-day gestation period), ability to disperse over large distances, lack of effective predators, omnivorous diet, and high intelligence. They also pose a serious risk to Alberta’s economy and environment.

Wild boar at large tracks taken from a helicopter

Kevin Arychuk

Pig Out of Here

Recognizing this threat, initial control efforts were implemented. These included a bounty program, where hunters would earn $50 for a pair of wild boar ears. These efforts were later deemed ineffective and may have even exacerbated the issue. Wild boar are incredibly smart and when one or two are hunted from a larger group, the remaining boar quickly learn to evade future hunting efforts by dispersing, developing nocturnal behaviour, and becoming especially wary of human presence. While recreational hunting may be appealing to many hunters, it can actually make the animals more challenging to manage in the future. Therefore, recreational hunting of wild boar at large should be discouraged.

In response, Alberta Pork collaborated with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development to establish the Wild Boar Control Program, which involves coordinated and strategic removal of entire groups of wild boar at large called sounders. Wild boar are tracked using trail cameras, drones, reports from the public, and even wild boar sniffing dogs from the Alberta Environment and Parks Conservation K-9 Team! Corral traps are then set up in areas where sounders are identified. Technicians remotely monitor the traps and when all the individuals are inside, the gate is swiftly dropped.

Where the Wild Boars Are

Most of wild boar at large in Canada are found within the three prairie provinces, and the majority of those are in Saskatchewan. In Alberta, most wild boar at large reports are in central Alberta, just northwest of Edmonton. The parkland habitat is ideal for them as it provides food through crops, forest cover for hiding,

and riparian areas with access to water for cooling down in. However, it is likely that wild boar could survive in any of Alberta’s natural regions.

It is important to note that the Canadian introduction of wild boar is separate and much more recent than the American introduction. Eurasian wild boar were introduced to the United States in the 1600s when early settlers brought them as livestock. Fast-forward to 2022, Texas Parks and Wildlife estimates 7 million wild boar are spread over 35 states, and the USDA National Wildlife Research Center estimates the cost to the United States economy is $2.5 billion per year.