Individuals in southwestern Manitoba may have seen “wanted” posters as of late. But they don’t feature the face of a typical criminal.
A campaign called “Squeal on Pigs” is asking residents to watch for an aggressive wild pig that has been running rampant in the large area between Wawanesa, southeast of Brandon, and Alexander.
The campaign’s coordinator, Wayne Lees, told 680 CJOB’s The Start that the beast has been around since last winter.
“He was seen during the day, crossing a road, and that’s pretty unusual for wild pigs, because they’re normally fairly reclusive,” Lees said.
“On subsequent trail cameras in that 80 to 90 km corridor, we’ve seen him appear numerous times, in various spots.”
While this particular pig has evaded capture thus far, Lees said wild pigs, in general, are pretty common in this area of the province.
“We know that the Spruce Woods area south of Brandon is kind of our hot spot,” he said. “But we do see sightings from elsewhere around the province.”
Speaking to Global News, he added that the animal is part of an invasive species that can threaten an environment and the health of other animals. Wild pigs, he said, are nasty creatures that can be dangerous if they feel concerned or threatened.
Barrett Miller, a manager at FortWhyte Alive, said that having a lot of wild pigs in an environment can be destructive. Echoing similar sentiments, he said that such an animal is dangerous – much like black bears, as both are omnivores. Having adapted well to the Canadian climate, and with no natural predator, Miller said things add up to becoming a potential problem.
“They can scavenge, they can eat plant material, they can eat grain. They can eat just about anything we could eat,” said Miller. “They’re quite intelligent and they sort of use their group intelligence as well. All those things add up to being very invasive and a potential problem.”
He added that to deal with the species, the province needs to continue on its integrated approach of removal. It wouldn’t help, he said, to just leave the animals to nature. To ensure that the species does not continue posing more problems, Miller said it should be dealt with early.
“The worst thing that could be done is to just forget about it and assume that nature will take care of itself. That doesn’t work for most invasive species and a highly mobile, highly intelligent group animal that can eat just about anything,” said Miller.
Speaking on how to handle wild boars, Lees said there is no objection on hunters who happen on a single pig to hunt. Hunting groups of the animal, however, should not occur.
He also noted the number of wild pigs seen and reported this year in the province is expected to exceed the number from last year. At the time, there were 127 sightings.
This year, Lees said 122 pigs were removed.
Across the country, there are currently over 60,000 wild pigs. This according to Rebecca Lord, executive director with the Canadian Council on Invasive Species. She said the animals are primarily centred across the Canadian prairies.
Lord said that by reporting a sighting of a wild pig, agencies are able to deal with and remove the animals. It’s the biggest impact the public can make in helping to eradicate or control the animal’s population.
“Some researchers would offer that they’re the worst invasive species that we’re facing. They’re on every continent apart from Antarctica… the speed at which they breed is astounding,” said Lord. “It’s a growing problem and something that really needs to be addressed.”
A map of pig sightings can be found on the Squeal on Pigs website, where individuals can report any sightings of their own.
Anyone who spots the fugitive pig, or any other wild boars, is asked to keep their distance.
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