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Environment

Saskatchewan's wild boar problem

A porcine invader poses a serious risk to the province's agriculture industry and native vegetation

  • Nov 15, 2017
  • 187 words
  • 1 minutes
baby boars Expand Image
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They’re big, bad and bristly, and they’re tearing up parts of Saskatchewan at an alarming rate.

Wild boars, which escaped or were released from their pens after being introduced to the province in the 1990s as part of an agriculture diversification initiative, are an “ecological train wreck,” says Ryan Brook, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources. “They eat anything, have a tremendous impact on agricultural and native vegetation, harass livestock and can spread disease. They’re as close to an ideal invasive species as one could find.”

Brook has created a map of rural municipalities where wild boars have been spotted and tells the CBC sightings have risen dramatically, but adds it’s difficult to know exactly how many boars are in the province. 

This graphic explains some key features of the porky pests, and the impact they’re having on the local habitat.

Wild boar facts Expand Image
(Photo illustration: Ksenia Nigmanova/Canadian Geographic)
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