Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana in the United States’ north face a serious swine-related hazard. The states have been obliged to take action to prevent an exploding population of difficult-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada from erupting.
These secretive crossbreed pigs can survive frigid winters by tunneling beneath snow. The super pigs have merged the size and fertility of farmed swine with the survival abilities of wild Eurasian boar to create a species much too powerful for nature.
Scientists have labeled them the “most invasive animal on the planet” since they are currently roaming sections of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in Canada.
Wild pigs cause a slew of environmental problems, from devouring farmers’ crops to destroying forests and polluting water.
Because of their ability to multiply, even if 65 percent of the boars are slaughtered each year, their number will continue to grow. Wild pig eradication is no longer practicable in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Notably, although they have been present on the continent for centuries, pigs are not native to North America. According to Ryan Brook, one of Canada’s leading experts on the issue, slaughtering wild pigs is not a feasible solution, especially if the US does not want to wind up in the same scenario as its neighbor.
“Nobody should be surprised when pigs start walking across that border if they haven’t already. The question is: What will be done about it?” Brook was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
What is the answer?
Brook, a University of Saskatchewan professor, believes that forbidding the cultivation and transportation of wild pigs, as well as being extremely forceful with the diktat within the state, is the greatest approach.
Minnesota is set to produce a report in February of next year identifying holes in its management plan and recommending new preventative measures.
The US Department of Agriculture established the National Feral Swine Management Program in 2014, and it has since awarded financing to 33 states. The purpose, according to Mike Marlow, assistant program director, is to eradicate the wild pig population when their numbers are low or emerging.
“I think we’re making great strides toward success. But eradication is not in the near future,” said Marlow, reflecting on the success of the program in states such as Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Washington where the wild pig population was low.
