Strategic Trapping Most Effective Means of Controlling Wild Pigs

The Executive Director of the Alberta Invasive Species Council says strategic coordinated trapping is the most effective way to control populations of feral pigs

Wild pigs are considered to be one of the most damaging invasive species on the planet and their impact includes the destruction of crops, damage to riparian areas and contamination of water bodies, predation of livestock and the spread of disease.

In the spring of 2021 the Alberta Invasive Species Council, in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, launched the Squeal on Pigs campaign, a program designed to educate the public about the risks posed by wild pigs and to provide reporting options.

Alberta Invasive Species Council Executive Director Megan Evans says reports of sightings assist in locating and trapping these animals.

“We’re tracking these animals every way we can and when they find a group of wild boar, they set up a corral trap that can be remotely monitored and deployed“

 

“We have an eradication program. This is a collaboration between Alberta Pork and the Alberta government. 

“There are technicians that track these animals using trail cameras, drones, reports from the public and sometimes even using the conservation canine dogs, trained to sniff out wild boar scat.

“We’re tracking these animals every that way we can, the technicians that when they find a group of wild boar, they set up a corral trap that can be remotely monitored and deployed.

“They wait until all of the animals are inside that trap, they’re monitoring this remotely and then they can slam the gate down so that all the animals are trapped inside and those animals are euthanized and landfilled because we’re dealing with uninspected meat so that’s what happens.

“We know by far that this professional trapping, this strategic and coordinated trapping of entire sounders, groups of wild boar, is the most effective way to manage their populations.”

Evans notes the public has four different options for reporting sightings, including EDDMapS Alberta, the council’s free invasive species smartphone reporting app, they can email AF.wildboar@gov.ab.ca, they can call 310-FARM or they can contact their local municipality.