SARM calls on Province to implement moratorium on Wild Boars

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities is calling for a moratorium on Wild Boar farming.

President Ray Orb says the animals were originally brought in years ago as domestic livestock and over time many have escaped, reproduced and are now considered an invasive pest that roam free.

"They're getting to be quite a problem. We have at least 60 of our RMS in this province that have reported sightings of them. We know that there are probably a lot more that haven't actually seen well boars, and you know, they're out there. They are spreading for various reasons, but they are becoming a problem because they're very hard to control. They create a lot of damage. And they're actually quite dangerous, too."

He says the animals are nocturnal and quite prolific and can leave a trail of destruction that is costly and damaging to the environment:

"Damage to cropland, you know, that's been verified. We have quite a few pictures of damage in crops, but also pasture land. They get into pasture land, and they really seem to have a heyday. You know, I think it's because of the fact that there's nobody really around to bother them. They don't have many natural predators."

Orb says in 2016 Wildlife Regulations were amended to allow hunters to hunt feral wild boars year-round without a license, but since about 2009 SARM has continually been calling for moratoriums on wild boar farming.

He says with the wild boar population continuing to spread, it's time to put those moratoriums in place, so the problem doesn’t get any worse.

"Wild boar are difficult to hunt; it takes many hours and significant effort to track these animals. The time is imminent for a collaborative, long-term solution to be realized with our provincial government."