Manitobans asked to be on lookout for elusive wild pig

A local organization dedicated to controlling wild pigs has put out a wanted poster for an aggressive hog they say has roamed western Manitoba for roughly two years.

Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, which works to limit damage caused by invasive pigs in the province, is calling on the public to help capture a male boar seen travelling in and around Wawanesa and Alexander.

"We're looking for people to give us information about when they see this pig so that we can start to set up traps and capture him," said Wayne Lees, program co-ordinator for Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, which is jointly funded by the Manitoba Pork Council and the federal and provincial governments.

"This time of year, when food sources are starting to get more scarce, this is our prime season for trapping."

The wanted poster released last week shows a large, hairy animal with a long face and short legs, and cautions the public not to approach the "aggressive wild pig."

The animal is a Eurasian wild boar, an invasive species first brought to Canada in the 1980s for farming, Lees said.

Squeal on Pigs, managed by members of the Manitoba Pork Council, has a team of three field technicians, a field manager and a program co-ordinator.

Field manager Devon Baete wrote in an email that several landowners reported sightings of wild pigs since the wanted flyer was posted.

While many wild boars roam Manitoba, what makes this particular pig a target is his bold behaviour.

"Most pigs are fairly reclusive. They don't like to be seen out in the open, and this one seems to have no fear of people. He's been seen along roads, travelling during the daylight, and he seems like he's got really no fear of people," Lees said.

Squeal on Pigs Manitoba has roughly 90 trail cameras set up around the province and offers cellular cameras, bait and traps to landowners interested in helping them catch wild boars.

Wild pigs can carry up to 89 diseases, threatening farm livestock, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba's website says. The animals also uproot and trample crops and can contaminate water sources with E. coli and other bacteria.

Ryan Brook, who leads the University of Saskatchewan's Canadian wild pig research project, says Manitoba has a problem with wild boars.

"To be clear, these pigs, here in 2023, are expanding on the Prairies completely out of control, very, very widely," he said.

"Many experts, including myself, would argue that these wild pigs are the worst invasive mammal on the planet. And if someone said, 'Well, what could be worse,' I would say, 'I don't know of anything that could be worse.' They do so much damage."

The pigs often leave crops destroyed and the ground open to invasive plants, Brook said. They also eat native wildlife.

"They were brought over to be farmed, and they were farmed all across Canada, and including large areas of Manitoba, to be raised primarily for meat, but they started escaping. And even worse, the market basically collapsed in the early 2000s," he said.

High reproduction rates mean the number of wild boars grows rapidly each year.

"These animals will have six young per litter on average, and typically, a well-fed mature female will have at least two litters per year. So we're looking at 12 young per mature female per year, on average."

Manitoba is far beyond the point where eradicating wild boars is an option, he said, and it is crucial to now focus on getting the population under control enough to minimize damage.

In 2022, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba reported removing 122 pigs in the province through trapping or hunting. The pigs that are caught are killed.

Lees said they seem on track to meet or exceed that number this year.

While he is pleased that steps are being taken, Brook says it is hard to make any conclusive statements on the success of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba because it is difficult to know how many pigs remain in the province.

Brook wrote in an email that his research has identified 938 new wild pig occurrences in Manitoba so far in 2023.

"At least 80 per cent removal annually would get you started, where things are at least not spreading out of control like a gigantic wildfire, like they are right now today."

Community members can report sightings of wild pigs online at squealonpigsmb.org or by calling 1-833-SPOT-PIG (1-833-776-8744).