A hybrid of domestic pigs and European wild boar were spotted in Alberta’s Elk Island national park the first time.
Wild pigs were first brought to Saskatchewan and Alberta in the 1990s to help diversify their operations. However, some escaped and have thrived in Saskatchewan’s rural areas. With a range that spreads over nearly 800,000 square kilometers (mostly in the Prairies), these feral hogs could potentially invade other areas of Canada.
A study from the University of Saskatchewan found that wild pigs are one of Canada’s most invasive species. According to researchers, the biggest risk that wild pigs pose is their disease transmission that can risk agriculture and livestock production. Not only are these hogs extremely smart and elusive, but they quickly adapt to the Canadian climate and are difficult to hunt.
“They just rip through the ground, pulling up insect larvae and roots so that it has a harder time growing back” says Ryan Brook, Head of the University of Saskatchewan’s Canadian Wild Pig Research Project. “They get into wetlands and they wallow around, and they contaminate the water. They just do tremendous destruction.”
Elk Island is a 40km fenced-in park east of Edmonton and home to one of Canada’s largest wild bison herds. The pigs move in groups called “sounders”, destroying wetlands. They are voracious eaters of roots, bulbs, tubers, bird eggs and small amphibians and can weigh up to 300 pounds.
Brook told the Canadian Press that while Elk Island is the first to have feral pigs, he suspects Prince Albert national park (Saskatchewan) will probably be next.
The Alberta government and Parks Canada are working together to prevent the hogs from establishing a permanent presence in the park.