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Wild hogs were declared a “pest under all circumstances” by the Alberta government as of Dec. 1, meaning new restrictions were placed on keeping them in captivity and hunting them in the wild.
It is currently illegal to keep, buy, sell, acquire or transport wild hogs in Alberta without a permit. It also means no new wild boar farms will be allowed in the province.
Hunting and trapping of wild boar is also prohibited in Alberta, unless landowners or residents kill the animals on their land. Any person who kills a wild boar is now required to report to the province the date, location and number of boars killed as soon as possible.
Hannah MacKenzie, provincial wild boar specialist, says the changes were made because of the dangers posed by existing wild boar populations and the risks associated with further escape from captivity.
“In addition to the agricultural and environmental damage, wild boar pose a serious risk of introducing and spreading foreign animal diseases, including African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease,” McKenzie said. “And it will have a huge financial impact on the pork industry, the larger livestock industry and our trade relationships.”
The term “wild boar” refers to the Eurasian wild pig or hybrids of this animal and the domestic pig. They were introduced to the Prairies in the late 20th century to be raised as livestock, after which some were able to establish wild populations throughout Canada, but predominantly in the Prairie provinces.
“As they spread and become more of a threat, we are seeing other provinces And jurisdiction make changes to wild boar management to combat disease and trade risks,” McKenzie said.
Ontario pork producers have had to phase out Eurasian wild boar from their herds due to a provincial ban that comes into effect Jan. 1. Hans Lindenmann, a pork producer in eastern Ontario, said he's not sure what's next for him since those wild hogs make up half of his business.
McKenzie said the province is currently working with 12 wild hog farms in Alberta, but there could be more.
These farms have the option of either housing their boars under stricter conditions or receiving compensation from the province and exiting the industry. The province is proposing to pay $590 per boar, plus compensation per linear foot of fences.
McKenzie said the cost of the program is estimated at about $2.6 million. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has allocated $3 million to wild boar control in the provincial budget this year.
“Difficult” situation for pig farming
Alberta Pork Industry Program Manager Charlotte Shipp says the rules are a “complex issue” for the organization.
“Wild hog producers are also Alberta's pork producers, so it's a difficult situation,” she said.
Shipp said tightening restrictions on wild boar farming, especially when it comes to preventing escapes and the possible spread of African swine fever, and offering wild boar producers an incentive to exit are steps in the right direction.
“I think our government has had a tough time trying to balance the risk of the industry. [while] so that these producers can remain a vibrant part of rural communities,” Shipp said.
African swine fever is harmless to humans, but can destroy pig populations. There was an outbreak of disease among wild boars. reported last week in Spain, one of the largest pork producers in the European Union.
Difficult to control the population
McKenzie said it's difficult to track how many wild boar there are in the province and exactly where they are located.
“They are very difficult to survey,” she said, noting that traditional methods such as aerial photography are not as effective because wild boars tend to be more active at night and prefer dense forests where they are difficult for aircraft to detect.
Ryan Brooke, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan who studies invasive feral hogs in Canada, has long been an advocate for stricter wild hog management regulations.
“They really are incredibly destructive,” he said. “They destroy the environment because, unlike many of our native wildlife, hogs actually tear up the ground, which is called rooting.”
Saskatchewan is introducing a moratorium on new wild boar farms and placing restrictions on existing operations. New rules for current farms include increased oversight, annual inspections and mandatory fencing. Experts say it's too little, too late.
Brooke said the lack of sweat glands also causes them to get cold in wetlands, where invasive species contaminate the water with various diseases.
“Sport hunting is illegal, and I’ve been saying it and begging and pleading for it for over 15 years,” Brook said.
Banning hunting of a species the province is trying to eradicate may seem counterintuitive, but Brooke said there is no evidence that sport hunting has reduced the wild hog population. That's partly because the animals breed relatively frequently and produce a large number of offspring, with an average of two litters of six piglets per year, he said.
“Unfortunately, not only does hunting not eliminate them quickly enough… it also breaks up the groups and spreads them out across the landscape because it's very rare for hunters to wipe out an entire population,” Brooke said.
