‘They're looked after as humanely as possible’: Invasive species expert on eradicating wild boar-pigs

Alberta's pig problem a real risk to parks: expert Wild boars in the Prairies have long been a concern but now so-called super pigs are encroaching on mountain parks in Alberta.

As a cross-breed of wild boars and domestic pigs continue to populate across Canada, scientists warn that the invasive species might become a larger problem.

Megan Evans, the executive director of the Alberta Invasive Species Council, says that research out of the University of Saskatchewan has shown this particular species can pose a health risk with transmittable diseases, and even has the potential to shut down a billion dollar pork and beef industry if not promptly dealt with.

The risk, she says, extends beyond her own province of Alberta.

“There have been some maps released recently that show populations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba at a little bit lower in the southern parts of those provinces,” she told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday. While she said she couldn’t speak specifically about that data, she added there could be a “larger risk in those areas.”

According to the Invasive Species Council, wild boars carry 89 transmissible diseases, including foot and mouth disease and African swine fever.

The good news, however, is that there has been “no reportable disease outbreaks,” she said.

“The risk of a reportable disease outbreak is the single biggest risk associated with this feral population of wild boar. None of that has happened.”

Evans says measures have been implemented to ensure that that populations of this invasive species does not pose a threat.

“There’s a lot of preparedness,” she said. “There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.”

Along with general risk assessment and monitoring of populations in north central Alberta and beyond, Evans said open communication is maintained with “colleagues south of the border” so “folks have a general idea of what’s going on.”

In Alberta, she says, the goal is eradication.

“That is absolutely the goal here. We have fewer wild boar in our province than we do in Saskatchewan so it might be a bit of a different scenario there. We do need to work together obviously.”

Alberta’s wild boar control program has populations of the species thoroughly tracked using drones, and, Evans says, “a boar-sniffing dog, if you could believe that.”

Using humane methods, Evans says entire groups of these boar-pigs are removed from the landscape.

“The reason for that is, if we hunt them, if they’re exposed to hunting pressure, and you remove a couple individuals from the group, the remaining pigs learn to avoid being hunted and trapped in the future and can make them more challenging to manage,” she explained.

After these animals are captured, Evans says they are “humanely euthanized.”

“We really don’t have a place for these animals,” she said. “They are invasive everywhere in Canada and they breed incredibly quickly. They’re looked after as humanely as possible.”