U.S. on alert against Alberta's massive wild boars

Many things might indeed be bigger in Texas, but when it comes to wild boars Alberta's superpigs are twice the size of those thriving in the Lone Star State.

And that's got wildlife officials across the U.S. worried these massive northern prairie porkers — with razor-sharp tusks and weighing up to 630 pounds — could soon pose a multibillion-dollar threat if they become unwanted “immigrunts” by crossing the 49th parallel.

The Canadian wild pigs have made Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba their home ever since first imported mainly from the U.K. back in the early 1980s to breed with domestic porkers, thereby boosting the size and fertility of the Canadian stock.

But when the pork market eventually collapsed some boar were simply left to fend for themselves in the wild — a mistake that had devastating consequences, as that earlier crossbreeding had turned the offspring into superpigs, according to Professor Ryan Brook from the University of Saskatchewan, who has spent more than a decade investigating the boars' activity across the prairies.

The resulting animal was much larger, reproduced quicker and was blessed with a thick, hairy coat, allowing it to easily survive the harshest winter. It was also smart, discovering how to bury in snowdrifts to hide, escape capture and keep warm.

“As far as Canada goes, I couldn't imagine a worse animal being released into the environment. It eats crops, destroys fences, can attack and harass livestock, destroy water quality, eat almost anything and carry disease,” said Brook.

And things are getting worse: “Unfortunately, 2023 was by far the worst year I've seen on the Canadian prairies overall. We are in the middle of a crisis,” he added.

NORTHERN STATES HAVE REASON TO BE CONCERNED

U.S. northern states have long been wary about wild pigs migrating from their main breeding ground in Texas, where they have survived and thrived since the Spanish introduced the animal to that area more than 400 years ago.

But those Texas pigs are half the size of the Canadian ones and almost hairless, therefore unlikely to survive the harsh, low temperatures the northern part of the continent endures. So, the focus of states such as Montana is shifting northward. Given those smaller U.S. pigs already cause about $2.5 billion a year in crop damage alone, the threat posed by a similar animal twice that size, which is at home in freezing conditions, is significant.

It isn't known how many superpigs are in the three Prairie provinces, but Brook said it's certainly in the thousands and despite bounties being placed on the animals indiscriminate hunting is actually making the problem worse.

“Hunting is one of the big challenges, because it makes the problem worse. It breaks up groups and spreads them around the landscape and makes the pigs more nocturnal,” said Brook.

He added the most effective defence is large ground traps that can operate remotely and capture an entire family group, which is then shot. (Sadly, moving the pigs is pointless as it simply transfers the problem to another location.)

`PLEASE: SQUEAL ON THE PIGS'

The professor added that Alberta is ahead of the other two provinces in recognizing the dangers, even introducing a program called Squeal On Pigs to help track the pigs.

Paige Kuczmarski, spokesperson for the Alberta Invasive Species Council, said since the campaign was launched 303 boars have been removed, but the animals remain very difficult to track.

“That's why we are relying upon landowners and citizens to let us know. Please: squeal on the pigs,” she said.

Anyone spotting such a rogue pig should call 310-FARM or message www.alberta.ca/report-wild-boar.