Northern Invasion! Feral Boars Descending Upon the United States
Adam Scepaniak 04.06.20
Many hunters are well aware of the invasive feral boars roaming the lower United States. They are devastating to cropland, they compete with indigenous wildlife for resources, and in many cases kill indigenous animals in their exponential spread throughout the land. At the moment, they are fairly widespread throughout the South, much of the Southwest and Western states, and even have stable populations out East. The only place left for them to expand to is the northern Midwest.
Some people have postured that feral boars are not “hardy” enough to withstand the brutally cold winters in areas like the Dakotas and Minnesota, but they are not aware of a looming problem to the North. There is presently a very large and stable population of “super feral boars” in Canada and they are venturing further South every year (eventually directly into Minnesota and North Dakota in the US).
Why are they called “super feral boars?” The reason why they ever came to be in Canada is because of farming. Wild boars were brought from Europe to Canada to be raised for their meat, but some eventually escaped. After some time being domesticated and melding their wild characteristics with their domestically acquired ones, a new form of feral boar was formed. Ryan Brook, a wildlife researcher with the University of Saskatchewan, states this:
These feral fugitives can weigh up to 600 pounds or more, and sport sharp tusks and bristly coats over thick, warm fur. They are reproducing rapidly and their range is expanding. Their combination of wild traits and domestic ones—including their high tolerance for cold and ability to birth large litters—may have led to ‘super pigs.’
This new sub-species of feral boars is becoming a growing problem not simply because of their ballooning population, but because of the havoc they wreak. They have been known to wallow in streams, creeks, and rivers causing erosion, runoff, and contamination to the water supply. They are also notorious for doing damage to cropland and farmers’ grain bins. Also, their increased size of these wild pigs gives them a selective advantage in colder environments like Canada, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.
While some people view feral boars as being delicious for their pork and bacon, they fail to see the economic impact and devastation to other wildlife and ecosystems. It could only be a matter of time before they invade the United States by the means of Minnesota and North Dakota. Something most people will never see coming!
What do you think of the fact that Canada has a thriving and stable population of super pigs breed to survive the cold and are even larger than the boars present in the southern parts of the United States? Would you take up arms and go hunting for them? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
