Report, don’t shoot.
That’s the message of a new wild pig awareness campaign in Manitoba designed to flag populations so control can begin.
“Anybody who goes into the outdoors can contribute to the program,” said Dr. Wayne Lees, project co-ordinator of the Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project.
Called Squeal on Pigs, the project calls on anyone in Manitoba who has seen wild pigs to call a toll-free number or click on a website to report what they’ve seen.
With the information, analysis can spot where populations of wild pigs are centred and provide the basis for eradication efforts.
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People are requested to not shoot or hunt the wild pigs because that causes them to spread out to form new “sounders,” and also scatters the pigs from areas where they have been spotted.
The project is funded by Manitoba Pork, the federal government and the provincial government through the Manitoba Swine Eradication Project.
Wild pigs are a threat to many sectors of farming. Hog producers are especially vulnerable to diseases being spread into their herds by the wild pigs, which can be reservoirs for swine diseases.
“They could become vectors for some pretty nasty diseases if they were to ever become introduced into Canada,” said Lees.
They love gobbling crops and tearing into grain bags.
They relish rooting through pastures and tearing up forages.
“They eat almost anything,” said Lees.
The pigs also pose a physical danger to farmers and farm families. They are aggressive, tusked and weigh hundreds of pounds.
Project organizers hope the pigs are seen as a problem to non-farmers. They are a threat to native wildlife, to the environment, and to humans in rural areas.
The phone number is 833-SPOT-PIG (833-776-8744). The website is squealonpigsmb.org.
