A province wide campaign urging the public to act when it comes to invasive pigs has been launched.
The Invasive Species Council of BC’s “Squeal on Pigs” awareness campaign is a broad effort to stop invasive pig populations from establishing a foothold in BC.
Executive Director Gail Wallin said when you look at other parts of Canada like Saskatchewan, the Invasive Species Council of BC doesn’t want to be like them.
Wallin said these animals cause extensive damage to ecosystems, farmland and infrastructure.
Invasive pigs also pose a serious risk if diseases like African swine fever ever reaches Canada.
“We want people to be on the alert and looking for these pigs and to report anything that looks out of place. When you see a pig that’s on the landscape, that’s outside a fence, it’s a feral pig, an invasive pig and we don’t want it established.”
Wallin noted that in the Cariboo Chilcotin area they’ve had pig reports off and on over the years.
“Once a pig is out on the landscape it can easily go back to it’s original genetics. If it had been breed in the past with wild boars it will start growing thicker hair and tusks when it’s been left out on the landscape for over a couple of seasons.” Wallin said, “They can produce quite well, they can survive quite well and they hang in groups called “sounders”. When they are in that group, if you go out and try to hunt one or two of them, and you leave the other 8 or 10 out there, those pigs will form 2 or 3 sounder groups and it will be even more difficult to try to get rid of them.”
Wallin said they brought in people from the States, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for a workshop to share their experiences and one of the “must do’s” is take out the entire sounder not just part of it.
“The East Chilcotin, the area around the Sheep Creek Bridge and Farwell Canyon area that’s where we want you to be watching for these invasive pigs,” Wallin added, “Whether you’re on the land every day or out for a weekend hike, early reporting of pigs on the land makes all the difference.”
To report an invasive pig sighting go online bcinvasives.ca
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