AP: Canada’s population of elusive “super pigs” threatens to invade the US – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

In Canada, feral pigs roaming across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of Eurasian wild boars with the size and high fertility of domestic pigs, creating a “super pig” that gets out of control and is extremely difficult to catch, the Associated Press reports. Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading experts on the issue, called feral pigs “the most aggressive animal on the planet” and an “ecological disaster” in an interview with the AP. Although they have roamed parts of North America for centuries, Canada only became an issue in the 1980s, when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boars, Brook said. The market collapsed after its peak in 2001, and some frustrated farmers simply removed the fences to free the animals.

It turned out that pigs tolerate Canadian winters very well. Intelligent, adaptable and furry, they eat everything, including crops and wild animals. They can spread devastating diseases like African swine fever to pig farms. And they multiply quickly. A sow can give birth to six piglets per litter and raise two litters per year. 65 percent or more of the wild pig population may die each year, but their numbers will continue to grow, Brooke said. According to him, hunting only makes the problem worse. The success rate for hunters is only two to three percent and hunting is prohibited in several states. It makes pigs more cautious and nocturnal, making them harder to track and eradicate.

Feral pigs already cause about $2.5 billion in crop damage in the United States each year, primarily in southern states like Texas. And they can be aggressive towards people. In 2019, a woman was killed by feral hogs in Texas. Minnesota is among states trying to prevent the spread of pigs. The state Department of Natural Resources is expected to release a report in February that will identify gaps in its management plan and recommend new measures to prevent the hog invasion. Meanwhile, the USDA is using planes and drones to increase surveillance along the northern border.