Holy Grail of peace since ‘93
Dear Editor:
Today I read your story “Wild pigs not a concern in Jasper National Park” online. This was more than a little surprising to me given my 14 years of research that I have conducted in Canada on these highly invasive feral swine at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dave Argument, on behalf of Parks Canada, spins a bizarre and misleading story about the risk of wild pigs to Jasper National Park. This is what I refer to as “management by wishing”. Ignoring or dismissing the facts of the situation is highly problematic because wild pigs are indeed the worst invasive large mammal on the planet.
They are out of control in Alberta and have been spreading across Canada at a rate of over 40,000 km2 per year. My team has carefully documented this spread using thousands of occurrences, GPS satellite collaring, and we have used modelling to understand their movements in much detail.
As per the map I provided for a recent story showed, several wild pig occurrences within 100 km of Jasper National Park and an alarming number of feral swine within 200km, where there is also a permanently established stronghold of wild pigs. It is clearly documented that wild pigs are rapidly expanding out from the hotspots.
The story from today repeats my oft repeated warnings of the significant risks and impacts that these swine can have to agriculture and natural ecosystems but Parks Canada downplays this crisis and pretends the result will magically be different in Jasper compared to all of the areas around the planet where wild pigs have expanded out of control and are an incredibly expensive nuisance, on agricultural lands and in protected areas. In contrast, Elk Island National Park, about an hour east of Edmonton, has identified wild pigs inside the park and are actively working on research and control efforts already.
Of course, we don’t know with certainty what will happen next but suggesting wild pigs are not a concern in 2024 requires a particularly thick pair of rose-coloured glasses.
Ryan Brook Saskatoon