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

Escaped domestic pigs are no joke.

That's the message behind a new awareness campaign from the Invasive Species Council of B.C. aimed at preventing feral pig populations from growing and thriving in British Columbia, as they have elsewhere in North America.

The campaign encourages British Columbians to "squeal on pigs" they believe have escaped into the wild, and offers farmers tips on how to prevent their animals from getting loose.

"It's one of the species that we want to be very, very careful with," said Stanley Troyer, who grew up on a ranch and now owns a custom meat-cutting shop in Fort St. John in northeast B.C., one of the regions of the province where feral pigs are most likely to thrive.

He said he once helped a friend track down a loose hog that travelled more than 50 kilometres in the middle of winter — a reminder of the animal's ability to survive in northern climates.

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

LISTEN | The threat of feral pigs: 

Radio West6:42The Invasive Species Council of B.C. is trying to get a growing number of wild pigs under control

Wild pigs are becoming an issue in Canada and increasingly so in BC. Invasive Species has launched a new campaign to bring awareness of the problem to the public

Gail Wallin, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of B.C., said escaped domesticated pigs can cause environmental damage and spread disease.

"They're rooters. They'll destroy your crops or your wetlands or whatever lands are really important for other native species," she said.

The campaign features pigs in places they shouldn't be — grocery stores, tractors, and kitchen cupboards — and asks people to act if they see any in real life.

Wallin said the council has spent the last year working on resources for local governments and pork producers, as well as things like kids' activity books, to support the campaign.

She said anyone who spots a pig can report it online through the council's website, by using an invasive species app or by calling in with information.

She said having a photo of the animal is particularly important.

"If it's a pig outside a fence, it's illegal in British Columbia. So, that goes to the province, and the province works out a response," she said.

An alert posted by the provincial government said feral pigs have been reported in low numbers in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Thompson-Okanagan, Peace, Chilcotin and Kootenay regions. 

It said many were released or escaped from farms but they "have not yet established large populations in the province."

Wallin said her organization has seen the damage invasive pigs can cause in other provinces, as well as in the United States, and it's a growing concern. 

"We don't want that here in British Columbia," she said.

"We want to catch them when they're still in their early stages, and prevent new ones from coming in."

Wild boars that aren't being raised as livestock are considered an invasive species in Alberta and are a provincially regulated "agricultural pest."

The government of Alberta has said the pigs can compete with wildlife and destroy other sensitive natural habitats. 

The Alberta Invasive Species Council said that while there are no Canadian estimates, agricultural damage in the U.S. caused by wild boar at large is estimated to be $1.5 billion each year.