Earlier this week Canada's early detection surveillance program, CanSpotASF, announced wild pigs are now added to the list for African swine fever testing.
Squeal on Pigs Manitoba coordinator, Wayne Lees says North American does not have African swine fever, "but part of the surveillance efforts is to prove that we're free of it. It's a natural program so that we are able to demonstrate freedom of ASF in Manitoba's hog populations to other countries. And it also helps us, if it ever was to be introduced, to detect it very early. Now that wild pigs are included in that list rounds out the program so that we're testing wild pigs at the same time as domestic animals," adds Lees.
Wild pigs are considered an invasive species in Canada.
Not only do wild pigs cause ecological damage, wildlife habitat destruction, crop damage and human safety concerns, they can spread and be a reservoir for diseases that pose a risk to wildlife and livestock. One of the biggest concerns is African swine fever (ASF), which causes severe disease in pigs – nearly 100% of infected pigs will die from certain strains of the virus,' states Tuesday's media release.
Vigilant testing and early detection of ASF is crucial to quickly contain and minimize the impact of the virus on domestic hogs. ASF would have a devastating effect on swine herds, the industry, the trade of Canadian pork products, and the Canadian economy.
What is African swine fever?
African swine fever is one of the most severe viral diseases in pigs and affects pigs of all ages. Domestic, feral and the Eurasian wild board are equally susceptible to ASF. There is no cure or vaccine for this virus, which is recognized by the global veterinary society as one of the major threats to pig production, food security and biodiversity in the world. ASF can spread through direct or indirect contact and causes high mortality, and it can persist for a long time in the environment, carcasses and in a variety of swine products.
It's important to note ASF cannot infect humans.
Surveillance on Manitoba's wild pig population is not new to Squeal on Pigs. They've been sending samples into the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg since 2023.
"Now that the CanSpotASF program has been officially launched all provinces across the province will continue to contribute," says Lees. "But, so far in 2024 we've contributed 60 samples to that program."
So, where are these wild hairy hogs in Manitoba?
Wild pigs are scattered throughout southern Manitoba (see map below), however Manitoba's hot spot for wild hogs is in the Spruce Woods area. Squeal on Pigs report sightings on their website on a quarterly basis to share the map of wild pig sightings. "The Spruce Woods area is where we are focusing much of our efforts now in baiting and trapping pigs."
Wild pigs pose a threat to rural Manitoba. They contaminate water sources, damage natural habitats and farm crops, and can spread up to 89 different diseases to commercial and small-scale livestock.
So, is it best to hunt wild pigs or to trap them?
Lees says hunting practices tend to exacerbate the problem when it comes to families of wild pigs.
"The Eurasian wild boar specifically tend to live in groups, or a sounders, and that's usually comprised of females and their offspring, the young juveniles and their piglets," explains Lees. "The big male boars are tend to be more solitary and can tend to travel around on their own. But the issue of trying to hunt them is that a hunter, or a group of hunters, might get one or two and then the rest of them just scatter and then become much more difficult to trap later on, and will sometimes move into new areas. Hunting isn't the answer, it actually makes the problem worse," he adds.
If you see evidence of wild pigs in your community, the best thing you can do is report it by contacting Squeal on Pigs. That way a strategic effort can be initiated to capture, test for African swine fever and eradicated.
The CanSpotASF program is encouraging wildlife officers, trappers, veterinarians or others to submit invasive wild pig sample materials whenever possible
Visit the Squeal on Pigs website HERE for more information at Squealonpigs.com or call 1-833-SPOT PIG (1-833-776-8744)
Please listen to more with Wayne Lees below.
For more on invasive species of Manitoba click HERE for more information.
(Photo credits Squeal on Pigs and Invasive Species of Manitoba websites)