New campaign encourages B.C. to 'squeal' on invasive pigs

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 8:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Escaped home pigs are nary joke.

That's the connection down a caller consciousness run from the Invasive Species Council of B.C. aimed astatine preventing feral pig populations from increasing and thriving successful British Columbia, arsenic they person elsewhere successful North America.

The run encourages British Columbians to "squeal connected pigs" they judge person escaped into the wild, and offers farmers tips on how to forestall their animals from getting loose.

"It's 1 of the taxon that we privation to beryllium very, precise cautious with," said Stanley Troyer, who grew up connected a ranch and present owns a customized meat-cutting shop successful Fort St. John successful northeast B.C., 1 of the regions of the state wherever feral pigs are astir apt to thrive.

He said helium erstwhile helped a person way down a escaped hog that travelled much than 50 kilometres in the mediate of winter — a reminder of the animal's ability to past successful bluish climates.

"It's important that we don't underestimate the quality of hogs," helium said.

LISTEN | The menace of feral pigs: 

Gail Wallin, executive manager of the Invasive Species Council of B.C., said escaped domesticated pigs tin origin biology harm and dispersed disease.

"They're rooters. They'll destruct your crops oregon your wetlands oregon immoderate lands are truly important for different autochthonal species," she said.

The run features pigs successful places they shouldn't beryllium — market stores, tractors, and room cupboards — and asks radical to enactment if they spot immoderate successful existent life.

Wallin said the assembly has spent the past twelvemonth moving connected resources for section governments and pork producers, arsenic good arsenic things similar kids' enactment books, to enactment the campaign.

She said anyone who spots a pig tin study it online done the council's website, by utilizing an invasive taxon app oregon by calling successful with information.

She said having a photograph of the carnal is peculiarly important.

"If it's a pig extracurricular a fence, it's amerciable successful British Columbia. So, that goes to the province, and the state works retired a response," she said.

An alert posted by the provincial authorities said feral pigs person been reported successful debased numbers successful the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Thompson-Okanagan, Peace, Chilcotin and Kootenay regions. 

It said galore were released oregon escaped from farms but they "have not yet established ample populations successful the province."

Wallin said her enactment has seen the harm invasive pigs tin origin successful different provinces, arsenic good arsenic successful the United States, and it's a increasing concern. 

"We don't privation that present successful British Columbia," she said.

"We privation to drawback them erstwhile they're inactive successful their aboriginal stages, and forestall caller ones from coming in."

Wild boars that aren't being raised arsenic livestock are considered an invasive taxon successful Alberta and are a provincially regulated "agricultural pest."

The authorities of Alberta has said the pigs tin vie with wildlife and destruct different delicate earthy habitats. 

The Alberta Invasive Species Council said that portion determination are nary Canadian estimates, cultivation harm successful the U.S. caused by chaotic boar astatine ample is estimated to beryllium $1.5 cardinal each year.