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submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate "super pigs" in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.

In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boars with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a "super pig" that's spreading out of control.

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada's leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, "the most invasive animal on the planet" and "an ecological train wreck."

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[-] teft@startrek.website 144 points 1 year ago

The most invasive animal on the planet.

I think humans win that trophy.

[-] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago

To be fair, we are behind the whole invasive species thing

[-] grue@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

"Who is more invasive? The invasive species or the invasive species who imported it?" -- Obi Wan Swinobi

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[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, way into the planetary infestation phase too, and already triggered the 6th mass extinction event.

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[-] Candelestine@lemmy.world 57 points 1 year ago

At least they sound like a viable game animal. Invasive species to you, 100lbs of free pork for Billy out in the woods. We use it to control deer populations from exploding in certain areas where we've removed the top predator though, and we just kinda take its place. Can potentially help with any animal that has the misfortune of being both tasty and economical to go out and hunt for.

Won't eradicate them or anything, but will help keep them in check. It's a facet of that old alliance between hunters/fishermen and environmental activists.

[-] khannie@lemmy.world 57 points 1 year ago

Unfortunately they'll still see population growth....

That means 65% or more of a wild pig population could be killed every year and it will still increase, Brook said. Hunting just makes the problem worse, he said. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3% and several states have banned hunting because it makes the pigs more wary and nocturnal — tougher to track down and eradicate.

[-] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 23 points 1 year ago

They are clever animals. You have to play the long con if you want to deal with their populations. Ive seen things where they actually feed them and gradually pen them in and the liquidate the whole drove.

[-] Jaysyn@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

My family in GA does a lot of this. They are farmers & have been successful in keeping feral hogs out of their fields. Hunting & trapping absolutely does work, you just have to know what the hell you're doing.

[-] Candelestine@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

I shoulda opened the article instead of just reading the synopsis. That is concerning.

I'll point out though, that since it's a new prey animal to the area, it will take time for the locals to learn how to hunt it effectively. It's behavior needs to be learned first, so effective approaches can be devised.

But ... delicious, economical and challenging is also something a hunter might find interesting.

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[-] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 37 points 1 year ago

Just declare open season and no bag limit on pigs in all northern states. I guarantee you all the Bubbas and outdoorsmen will take care of it.

[-] Cianalas@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

They're not able to keep up with the breeding in Texas, and there's even helicopter tours where you can try and wipe out whole herds at a time.

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[-] ItsMeSpez@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

This is already the case in Saskatchewan and it hasn't managed to curb the population.

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[-] novibe@lemmy.ml 32 points 1 year ago
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[-] Primarily0617@kbin.social 32 points 1 year ago

and we all made fun of that 30-50 feral hogs guy

truly we were the fools all along

[-] FireTower@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Feral hogs have been a problem for a while. They do tons of damage to southern agriculture each year. USDA estimates 1.5 billion dollars worth annually. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/impacts/southern-region-land-grant-researchers-finding-feral-hog-solutions

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[-] Professorozone@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago

Do they not taste good or something?

[-] Warl0k3@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No, Thėy təste aɓSlutelƴ awefull!

-Sined, Not Ae Pig

[-] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago

REEEEE! Absholuutely, what thish guy RRRREEEEEEE shaid.. Tashtes like sssshhiiit..

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[-] firewyre@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

I love problems we can eat our way out of... if we almost wiped out the buffalo these little shits shouldn't be an issue.

[-] joostjakob@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Buffalo weren't eaten to almost extinction. And they don't give birth to 10 calves at a time.

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[-] ramius345@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 year ago

Pork for the pork God.

[-] Furball@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 year ago

Super-pigs threatening to invade America?

I knew all that military spending would come in handy

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[-] fhek@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 year ago

Build a wall! The pigs are going to pay for it!

[-] ours@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

The bacon tax.

[-] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

Can't this be solved in a way where we get tons of super bacon?

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'd say we could use Spider-Pig to stop the Super Pigs, but you're not supposed to mix Marvel and D.C.

EDIT: Guess you guys aren't Simpsons fans.

[-] stifle867@programming.dev 25 points 1 year ago

The risk is that if these pigs cross with a hypothetical manbear then we would have an unstoppable being that's half man, half bear, half pig.

[-] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Spider pig

Spider pig

Does whatever a spider pig does

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[-] beebarfbadger@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

"most invasive animal on the planet"

Oh, just wait until you find out about humans...

[-] modifier@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 year ago

I know this is bad, but I also know I'm not the only one whose first thought was, "super bacon".

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Oh, ok, so like literally, not a title about overseas mutated police force ...

A close one with all them nuclear reactors being hacked to produce, em, hybrids.

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[-] MNByChoice@midwest.social 18 points 1 year ago

Can wild wolves keep them in check? Coyotes seem too small to kill an adult wild pig. (I have no idea.)

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

The pigs are mainly around agricultural areas. We're on the bare edge of the Canadian prairie (10km from the edge of forest that extends 2500km to the west and however far to the tundra) and we rarely see wolves even here. They aren't really a predator for the Russian boar that are now endemic in our area.

Between the 3 of us here on the farm, we've probably shot (and eaten because they're delicious) about 200 of them over the last 5 or 6 years. And we've knocked them back a bit on our own land, but they just breed over on other people's farms and give ours a wide berth now.

Biggest one we shot was over 500lbs

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[-] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago

Imagine thinking about a working natural ecosystem (co)existing in the same era as humans, preposterous.

:'(

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[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Free pork should never be an issue.

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[-] dangblingus@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

I think we better do what the pigs say guys. The threats sound like they've got a bone to pick with the US.

[-] Additional_Prune@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

If we can wipe out the passenger pigeon, we can surely wipe out some nice tasty pork.

[-] MNByChoice@midwest.social 12 points 1 year ago

Seems our boarder security it lacking if something as large as a pig can just walk through.

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 11 points 1 year ago

Stupid solution suggestion: set up plenty of bait traps that'll cage them. Barbecue ensues.

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[-] spudwart@spudwart.com 11 points 1 year ago

FREE BACON!

[-] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

How can they invade northern US when they already have cops there?

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[-] mifan@feddit.dk 9 points 1 year ago

Time for an “Eat Pig” campaign!

[-] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago

Someone call Al Gore

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this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
394 points (100.0% liked)

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