The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has trapped and culled 14 wild boars that were roaming the Pickering region last month.
While It’s still not clear where they came from, residents such as Mary Delaney are relieved.
“It’s a wonderful feeling. My husband and I had our first good sleep in weeks,” says Delaney.
She was one of many coping with 14 Eurasian wild boars running around North Pickering — the pigs causing havoc for farmers.
“I was in my kitchen getting a coffee, and outside my window, there were four of them.”
On Monday night, the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry finally captured the wild boars, it said in a press release.
“We must consider many factors when determining the method of removing wild pigs, such as if the pigs could be a vector for disease or if they are breeding or causing damage.”
Officials used technology such as drones and traps to help track and round up the wild boars. The Ministry worked with residents in the area to find out where the pigs were going and placed bait and trail cams in frequented spots. They rounded up 11 by baiting them, after following their habits and movements. Three got away but were captured a few days later.
The ministry says the pigs are considered one of the most damaging invasive species in the United States, and have been called an ‘ecological train wreck’ for the sheer damage they can cause to a number of habitats, let alone farmers’ crops.
“Wild pigs can also impact native plants, and animals directly through predation and indirectly through competition for food and destruction of habitat,” the ministry said. “Our goal is to reduce the disease risk these animals pose to Ontario’s domestic herd and the extensive damage they can do to agricultural crops.”
The month-long hunt had the city of Pickering along with the provincial and federal government involved. The lands they were running around are crown property.
“It was a lot of time, a lot of resources, in order to get them to feel comfortable,” says Lindsey Narraway with Pickering Animal Services.
“You really have to work on making the pigs feel comfortable coming to a specific area. In North Pickering, the pigs would move.”
Where the herd came from still remains a mystery. Associate Professor Ryan Brook, from the University of Saskatchewan, is a wild pig expert. He says the pack could have caused bigger problems.
“It’s a disease concern, a damage concern but it is also a native eco-system concern because they tear up eco-systems,” says Brook, whose province has been dealing with a massive wild pig problem for the past 20 years. He says there are thousands of wild pigs in southern Saskatchewan after the province did not take the swift action that Ontario did.
“We have missed that window. And you know fifteen years ago we were Ontario,” he says.
The ministry says the boars were humanely euthanized and will be used for research to learn about the condition and potential diseases they carry.
“Through this research, we will learn about the condition of wild pigs in Ontario, potential diseases and pathogens and outcomes will inform future management.”
While some might not fully agree with the pigs being put down Delaney says these pigs seemed to have lived life to the fullest.
“These boars were domesticated and were most likely headed for the slaughterhouse,” she says. “They got to be wild for a whole month, and they had a great time.”