‘Public sightings are vital to us’: Alberta forestry prepares to catch and eradicate wild boar near Edmonton

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Alberta forestry officials say they are prepared to catch and eradicate wild boar west and east of Edmonton, an animal that spews dirt and destroys landscapes in its wake.

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Parks Canada recently said there are wild boars occupying Elk Island National Park, but there are still no confirmed reports of them within city limits, said Perry Abramenko, an inspector and pest specialist for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Abramenko says the heaviest population of invasive species is found in Woodlands County and Lac Ste. Anne County.

“We are currently working with the resource managers at Elk Island Park to catch any wild boar that are in or around the park,” Abramenko said.

These wild pigs, which according to Abramenko range from 50 to more than 200 pounds as adults, were brought in by producers in the late 1980s and early 1990s to diversify their livestock and have evolved in cold climates from Siberia to the Northern Europe, so they are adapted to cold winter climates such as Edmonton.

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The animal has a cartilage disc in its snout that they often use when feeding. They will dig up the earth and look for worms and other food sources. Abramenko said that pigs can digest almost any organic matter and live on it.

If wild boars entered the city’s river valley, this is the kind of damage that is immediately apparent. When it comes to crop damage, Abramenko said wild boars will go into the middle of the crop and trample it, and because they start in the middle, many growers won’t realize they have a wild boar infestation until they go to harvest it.

There is also a situation where wild boar could affect the food supply in Canada.

“Wherever this virus called African swine fever has emerged in Europe and Asia, wherever that virus has occurred and lately it has been in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, it has been spread by wild pigs,” he said, adding that pigs could spread other diseases as well. “That’s a big risk right there, because if African swine fever ever came to Canada, it would be a very serious blow to our swine industry.”

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Catching the wild boar

When it comes to eradicating the species, hunting the animal doesn’t help, Abramenko explains. When hunted, the wild boar will disperse and infest new areas where there is no risk to humans. They will turn nocturnal and tune in to the human presence.

Abramenko says they have completed an investigation with the United States Department of Agriculture and conducted a pilot project to determine the best way to catch the wild boar.

“We have determined that if we are to be successful with eradication, that total elimination is necessary,” Abramenko said. “A probe is a group of wild boars made up mainly of adults with generally two different age groups of juveniles.”

Abramenko said that once they know a site where there are wild boars, they install cameras and place a kind of tree bait. Once they capture the probe and see the animals routinely approach the bait, they set up a trap, a door with a large opening, which they can remotely close with an app on their phone to trap the herd inside. The wild boars are then humanely slaughtered, Abramenko said.

While the wild boars have yet to make their way within city limits, Abramenko said that anyone who sees one of these pigs should send an email to [email protected]. or call 310-3276 to inform Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

“Public sightings are vital to us,” he said.

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