'Superpigs' from Canada could be invading the northern US: they are very dangerous and invasive

A growing population of hard-to-kill “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spread south—the northern US states are in danger. Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking action to stop the invasion. And the southern states have long been plagued by feral hogs. Writes about this CBS News.

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In Canada, wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. These are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boars with the size and high fertility of domestic pigs, resulting in so-called super pigs that are spreading out of control.

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada's leading experts on the issue, calls feral pigs "the most invasive animal on the planet" and an "ecological disaster."

How "super pigs" became a problem in Canada

Pigs are not native to North America. Although they have been present in parts of the continent for centuries, Canada's problem only emerged in the 1980s, when farmers began encouraging wild boar farming, Brooke said. In 2001, the market crashed after its peak, and some frustrated farmers simply removed their fences and released the animals into the wild.

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It turned out that pigs tolerate Canadian winters very well. Intelligent, adaptable and furry, they eat anything, including crops and wild animals. These artiodactyls tear up the ground in search of beetles and crops. They can spread devastating diseases such as African swine fever to pig farms. The animal reproduces quickly: a sow can have six piglets in a litter and two litters in a year.

That means even if 65% or more of the feral pig population were destroyed each year, it would still grow, Brooke says. Hunting only makes the problem worse, he says. Hunting success is only 2-3%, and some states have banned hunting because the pigs become more wary, making them more difficult to find and kill.

Feral hogs cause nearly $2,5 billion in damage to U.S. crops each year, mostly in southern states like Texas. However, they can be aggressive towards humans. In 2019, wild pigs killed a woman in Texas.

In Texas, where hog hunting is legal, the animals have caused at least $100 million in property damage.

Brooke said eradicating feral pigs from Manitoba and Saskatchewan is no longer possible. However, the situation is not hopeless everywhere, and in several US states they were destroyed. The key, he says, is to have a detection system in place to detect them quickly and early, and then respond quickly.

Brooke and his colleagues recorded 62 sightings of feral pigs in Canada. During aerial observations, they were seen on both sides of the border between Canada and North Dakota. In addition, pig sightings have been reported in Manitoba within 000 miles (18 km) of Minnesota.

“It shouldn’t surprise anyone that pigs would start crossing the border if they haven’t already,” Brooke said. “The question is what to do about it?”

According to him, the most serious measures to prevent the spread of feral pigs have been taken in Montana. It banned the breeding and transportation of wild pigs in the state.

“The only way forward is to be very aggressive and use every tool in our arsenal,” Brook stressed. “These could be large ground traps with names like BoarBuster or mesh guns launched from helicopters. Some states and provinces use tracking programs. Scientists have studied poisons such as sodium nitrite, among other things, but they risk harming other animal species.”

Minnesota is among the states trying to prevent the spread of pigs. The state Department of Natural Resources is expected to release a report in February that will highlight shortcomings in the management plan and recommend new measures to prevent the spread of the hogs. Meanwhile, the USDA is using planes and drones to increase surveillance along the northern border.

Minnesota was declared a hog-killing state after U.S. Wildlife Service officers shot and killed a group of hogs that had strayed from a farm and gone wild in the state's far northwest in 2016. Gary Norenberg, director of the Minnesota Wildlife Service, says that to his knowledge, there have never been truly wild pigs in his state.

Feral pigs have been found in at least 35 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency estimates that the pig population in these states is about 6 million.

Since the launch of the National Feral Swine Control Program in 2014, the USDA has provided funding to 33 states, according to Mike Marlow, assistant director of the program. The program's goal is to eradicate feral hogs where their populations are low or emerging and limit damage where they have already appeared, such as Texas and southeastern states.

The program's assistant director said the program has had success in some states that had small populations, such as Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Washington. In North Dakota, the animals are spotted sporadically and are quickly destroyed.

“I think we are making great strides towards success,” Marlow concluded. “But eradication is not expected in the near future.”

“They are everywhere.”

Despite U.S. efforts to control the damage caused by feral pigs, these invasive animals with a big appetite and a snout that uproots anything that smells good are still a multibillion-dollar scourge to farmers, wildlife and the environment.

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Experts estimate there are between 6 and 9 million feral pigs still ravaging landscapes across the country. They tear up sown fields, digging huge depressions. They take food from deer and turkeys, and also eat turkey eggs and even babies. They carry parasites and diseases, and pollute streams and rivers with their feces.

In McKinney, Texas, some residents have discovered that feral pigs are right at home in their gardens.

“They're digging around here looking for food,” said homeowner Ryan Keever, pointing to pig-damaged areas in front of his house. — Every day I receive emails or videos. They penetrate into all houses. They are everywhere."

In 2017, Texas approved the first pesticide targeting feral hogs, citing a possible "feral hog apocalypse."

Arkansas is dealing with the same problem. The state created a Feral Swine Eradication Task Force in 2017 to develop a plan to eradicate them from Arkansas.

More than 2022 feral hogs were killed in Arkansas between January and February 27, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

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