Wild Pigs Are Invading A Canadian National Park & It's Actually A Big Problem
They're one of the world's most invasive animals! 🐷
Although these pigs are super cute, they are also an "ecological disaster" that have now been found in a Canadian national park for the first time.
A study from the University of Saskatchewan found that wild pigs are one of Canada's most invasive species. They came from boars breeding with pigs after escaping their pens in the '90s, leading to them now invading areas throughout Canada.
The biggest risk that these little piggies pose, according to researchers, is their disease transmission that can risk agriculture and livestock production. They also eat just about anything and can weigh up to 250 pounds. So basically, they go around leaving a path of destruction.
Parks Canada spokesperson Janelle Verbruggen told CTV that "public sightings and video sightings provided by landowners confirm that there is at least one sounder (a sow and piglets)" in Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton.
Ryan Brook, from the Canadian Wild Pig Research Project, also told CTV that "they are the single most successful invasive large mammal on the planet."
To survive the winter, they create "pigloos," by burrowing deep into the snow to keep warm. These also mean though that they are hard to find and track.
Right now Parks Canada is trying to trap the pigs and keep the consistently growing population under control.