New research by scientists indicates that the wild super pigs in Canada are likely to invade South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota, causing billions of dollars in damage.
According to a study published in the journal Biological Invasions, Canadian wild super pigs could cross the border and invade northern parts of the United States. These wild pigs are a hybrid population of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus), wild boars (Sus scrofa) introduced to Canada in the late 1980s for meat and recreational hunting, and hybrids of the two species, according to the Invasive Species Council of Canada. Farmers released wild boars and some domestic pigs when the pork market declined in the early 2000s, thinking they couldn’t survive the harsh winters on the Canadian prairies with heavy snow. Contrary to expectations, the pigs thrived.
According to Ryan Brook, a professor specializing in animal meat science and poultry at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, wild pigs have a high reproductive rate, are highly adaptable, and easily spread. They are also cold-tolerant, leading Brook and colleagues to dub them “super pigs.” These super pigs could cross the border into North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. While the southern U.S. has about 6.9 million wild pigs, the northern regions are mostly pig-free due to control efforts.
However, the efforts of authorities may not be sufficient to stop pigs from invading from the north, posing a significant threat to agriculture and ecosystems. “Wild pigs are rooting and digging animals. They are an ecological disaster. They eat anything from small mammals like mice to ducks and geese, even full-grown white-tailed deer are killed and eaten by them,” Brook said.
To map the expansion of wild pigs across Canada and identify where they might go next, Brook and colleagues fitted GPS collars on 22 wild pigs. The collars transmitted location signals every 3 hours for 13 months. Some collars were damaged or lost, so authorities only received data from 10 pigs. They then compared the location data with habitat types and created a model to simulate the pigs’ movements. The research team expressed concern that wild pigs are likely to cross the Canada-US border and establish populations in the northern U.S.
Preferred habitats for wild pigs include marshes, deciduous forests, and wildflower meadows, providing both food and shelter. This habitat type spreads across the northern grasslands and along the border. Researchers noted that this spread is likely to occur near water bodies, including Fort Peck Lake in Montana, Devils Lake in North Dakota, and the Missouri River.
“Our findings suggest the potential for rapid and uncontrolled spread of wild pigs in the northern North American grasslands. To minimize the risk, Brook’s team proposes planting low-cover wildflowers that provide fewer hiding places or prevent wild pigs from accessing their preferred habitat. This could be achieved by building fences or setting traps. Some wild pig populations in Manitoba, Canada, are only 2-3 days’ travel from the U.S. border.”
