New website launches to address invasive wild pigs in Canada

To address the growing ecological and agricultural threat posed by invasive wild pigs, Canada is responding with the launch of a new website.

Wild Pigs Canada is a new online hub developed by Invasives Canada and Animal Health Canada in collaboration with the Invasive Wild Pig Leadership Group.

The website offers a central source for tools, information, and resources to address the threat of invasive wild pigs.

Dr. Leigh Rosengren, industry co-chair on the Animal Health board of directors, said the site will help the public and interest groups to identify and report wild pigs, understand their impacts to Canada, and stay up to date on current initiatives to tackle the problem.

“Animal Health Canada is proud to be a collaborator on the new Wild Pigs Canada website that shares information to support the prevention, management, and removal of invasive wild pigs from the Canadian landscape,” Rosengren said.

Invasive wild pigs are uncontained pigs that are not under human control. They are adaptable, elusive, and increasingly widespread in Canada. These animals destroy crops, damage natural habitats, and pose threats to native wildlife, livestock, pets, people, and ways of life. They can also spread or be a reservoir for diseases such as African swine fever (ASF).

ASF is a foreign animal disease of particular concern that is not yet in Canada. If introduced, wild pigs could rapidly spread the disease, with devastating impacts on domestic pigs, the swine industry, and international trade.

In Canada, invasive wild pigs can be found in any province and territory, however, the only known self-sustaining, established populations exist in parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Their adaptability, combined with their economic, environmental, and social impacts, demands a combined effort from all sectors.