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Researchers are trying to mitigate the spread of wild pigs in Canada
- myshpa 4y agoThe nature needs predators. Maybe stop killing wolves like madmen.
- black_13 4y ago[dead]
- metalliqaz 4y agoAdmittedly I am not an expert, but I'm fairly sure US and Canada has learned that lesson a while ago
- myshpa 4y agohttps://www.hcn.org/articles/wolves-was-yellowstones-deadliest-wolf-hunt-in-100-years-an-inside-job https://www.hcn.org/articles/wolves-was-yellowstones-deadlie...
- cgh 4y agoCanada has a large and healthy wolf population, especially out west. The Manitoba wolf population numbers in the thousands and it’s also got one of the worst feral pig problems, according to the article. Maybe the wolves just can’t deal with them.
- seanmcdirmid 4y agoThe wolves and the pigs might not live in the same places. Manitoba is huge.
- dgb23 4y agoFeral pigs are no piece of cake very much unlike typical prey. They can fight off wolves and scare them away. They are smart and dangerous animals. Wolves rely on causing panic, isolating few individuals and then hunt them over a long period of time. They have high stamina, good coordination and composure. However pigs can just decide to run at you and fuck you up. Wolves often don't like these odds.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- mkoubaa 4y agoselling wild game appears to be illegal in Canada like it is in the US. Ostensibly the reason is because of risk of illness but it's likely also due to lobbying by farmers. I think there's a solution staring at us in the face here
- xwdv 4y agoCanadians should simply rise up and eat these pigs.
- haram_masala 4y agoMost of those pigs are, by western standards, inedible. With the exception of the very young adults (and the piglets), their meat is tough and has a very objectionable gamer/musty/garbage-y flavor. Texas is contending with a similar problem, and if Texans can’t find a way to eat them, you know that meat is worthless.
- wankle 4y ago> very objectionable gamer/musty/garbage-y flavor Speaking as a gamer, I can relate.
- starkd 4y agoBut isn't that true of most any game meat? I've heard that bear meat can be tough and grisly, but I was told it depends on how you butcher it.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Turing_Machine 4y ago> But isn't that true of most any game meat? Most so-called "gamey" meat is down to poor handling of the meat. Hogs are an exception... uncastrated males do taste bad to many people.
- 4y ago
- HopenHeyHi 4y agoFor a moment I though my ex-gf started posting to HN :/ (This was her love language, ok? Don't judge us)
- throwawaaarrgh 4y agoI don't know why you were downvoted, this is adorable
- HopenHeyHi 4y agoA segment of HN is allergic to humor. Real Jabronis/Giambones.
- black_13 4y ago[dead]
- ChuckNorris89 4y agoWhy are they being called "super pigs"? Although that would be cool, it's not like they can fly, shoot lasers or be resistant to bullets. So, why not hunt them down for sport?
- jason-phillips 4y agoI'm not sure why they're called that. They are, however, veritable super animals. They're incredibly intelligent, prolific, destructive and wiley. It's impossible to dent their numbers using traditional means.
- Super_Jambo 4y agoI'm really hoping the other predictions in Neil Gaiman's System Shock aren't also coming true. But I suspect they will... For the big ones I have it as 3/6 already. (Not detailing em to avoid spoilers :))
- Syonyk 4y ago> Neil Gaiman's System Shock Ehm... which book? Are you thinking of Neil Stephenson's "Termination Shock"? That one involves feral pigs, and I'm not seeing "System Shock" as a book by Gaiman.
- thechao 4y agoI'm pretty sure this is what OP meant; but, now, I am saddened we haven't seen the Neil's collaborate on a sci-fi graphic novel. Obviously, it'd be 12000 pages long.
- Mountain_Skies 4y agoComplete with 300 hour audio book version that describes each panel in the graphic novel.
- LinuxBender 4y agoPeople in Canada and the northern U.S. should report any sightings of feral pigs to their local conservation officers and to the Squeal on Pigs program Why do they have a link at the end of the article asking people in Canada to report the pigs to the Montana government? [1] Are the US and Canada putting in a temporary agreement to allow Montana hunters into Canada to thin the herd and if so are they bringing disease testing centers into the loop? Or is this just a wording issue and I am interpreting it incorrectly? Perhaps they meant respectively? [1] - https://invasivespecies.mt.gov/montana-invasive-species/squeal-on-pigs https://invasivespecies.mt.gov/montana-invasive-species/sque...
- ThrowawayTestr 4y agoWhat do you mean by disease testing centers?
- LinuxBender 4y agoHunters have animals tested for a myriad of diseases prior to being consumed. There are some diseases that spread to humans and some that have not yet spread but will be world changing events when they do. Deer and Elk around me for example are tested for Chronic Wasting Disease which is a misfolded prion disease with no cure. [1] It's why I make 30 food piles for 28 deer every day. Feral swine can carry several diseases that can be passed to humans such as leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, brucellosis, tularemia, trichinellosis, swine influenza, salmonella, hepatitis and pathogenic E. coli. [2] They can also spread this to your pets and livestock. Brucellosis has been a recent problem in Montana for example. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_wasting_disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_wasting_disease [2] - https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/operational-activities/feral-swine/feral-swine-damage/feral-swine-risks-pets-people https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/ope...
- Aperocky 4y ago> article asking people in Canada to report the pigs to the Montana government This is too laughable, and it's not even that far out of context.
- potatototoo99 4y agoReally, I thought it was more of a US phenomenon.
- s1artibartfast 4y agoThe feral pig population in North America is based on a hybrid species with the Russian Razorback. It makes sense that they wouldn't be able to invade old climates as well
- r3trohack3r 4y ago> [The] reality is still that outside of the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, there are no meaningful opportunities to hunt wild pigs, which is not allowed in Ontario and Quebec In the southern United States it’s open season on wild pigs to keep the population under control. In at least Texas, you can take a machine gun mounted to a helicopter to go hog hunting: https://www.helibacon.com/texas-helicopter-hog-hunting/ https://www.helibacon.com/texas-helicopter-hog-hunting/ This article is light on the risks of an unchecked feral pig population. Pigs are dangerous. They’re mean, dirty, and can wreak havoc in ecosystems. Coming across a feral pig is dangerous, and they travel in squadrons so it’s likely you’ll cross a handful at a time. Unlike most animals that will leave humans alone unless they have reason, feral pigs will pick a fight. That these researchers are saying the pigs are pushing into human settlements is cause for concern.
- spokesbeing 4y agoSport hunting doesn't help keep the population down though: https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-has-a-feral-hog-problem-hunting-them-makes-it-worse/ https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/texas-has-a-feral-hog-...
- pixl97 4y agoWhen I was younger my friends and I used to trap and kill dozens of them at a time. The sheer number of hogs and the rate at which they breed down in the river bottoms is insane. Not sure how you'd ever get rid of them, they are pretty clever and once you use a trick unsuccessfully on them they tend to avoid it.
- Mountain_Skies 4y agoBiological warfare, in one form or another, might be the only way, but that comes with risks that are probably unacceptable, even in light of the amount of damage they cause.
- HarryHirsch 4y ago
- jason-phillips 4y agoIn Texas we trap them, blow them up, shoot them from helicopters, and shoot them from quads while chasing them at 50mph. They're too smart to shoot them from a standing position. I've seen packs of 15-20 running along together while riding my motorcycle along county roads in the middle of nowhere, San Saba County. But they normally stay out of sight; they're super smart. Good luck.
- qup 4y ago"shoot them from quads" Can you elaborate? I'm only aware of the traditional helicopters.
- greedo 4y agoATVs...
- qup 4y agod'oh
- overthrow 4y agoATVs, something like this https://www.amazon.com/X-PRO-110cc-Youth-Wheeler-Wheelers/dp/B07V6C3FPK https://www.amazon.com/X-PRO-110cc-Youth-Wheeler-Wheelers/dp... (never buy an ATV from Amazon, obviously)
- HarryHirsch 4y agoThe Chinese scooters in a crate are lovely: https://www.amazon.com/-/dp/B00OMB4IFQ https://www.amazon.com/-/dp/B00OMB4IFQ Bit of a pain to get titled, though.
- b112 4y agonever buy an ATV from Amazon, obviously But sir, it says "SMART DEALS NOW". Are you sure one shouldn't buy?
- 4y ago
- kzrdude 4y agoI'm not exactly in tune with the discussion on invasive species, but in this case it seems to be too late. Should we intervene in established ecosystems? These are natural systems and why not have a live and let live attitude to animals.
- theduder99 4y agoWhen hornets make a nest outside your garage, do you intervene or do you live and let live?
- kzrdude 4y agoThe city and the forest and two different places. I don't think we should be gardeners of the whole biosphere.
- dmbche 4y agoWho would've thought that breeding pigs to both reproduce and grow to maturity faster could lead to a massive invasive species issue that has seemingly no solution? Maybe we shouldn't be breeding animals to eat - but that's just me.
- mvdwoord 4y agoChecks notes, yes... Just you.
- dgb23 4y agoThe pigs we breed stem from basically a single species that already had the properties of very fast reproduction and very flexible diet. They were already like that, which is why we breed them. Other species have been tried without success. During the middle ages, our domesticated pigs were basically feral pigs that lived on farms and in towns, even in cities, as a bio garbage disposal. There are a lot of fun facts you can dig up there. The these pigs in America are imported, yes but they became wild again very fast and are basically the same species as before domestication.
- MagicMoonlight 4y agoMeat is delicious and nutritious. I have no desire to move to a vitamin powder and soy extract based diet.
- micromacrofoot 4y agopigs are arguably smarter than dogs and as many can attest, these pigs will avoid traps and hunters rather adeptly - this is a situation where we need to repopulate wolves - hobby hunting will never outpace their population growth, we need full-time allies
- cryptonector 4y agoWolves won't hunt 300lb hogs.
- MagicMoonlight 4y agoThey said that about chimps but then those chimps figured out you could chase them off a cliff and then eat them at the bottom. Give them a chance and they’ll adapt. It’s either kill hogs or they starve.
- micromacrofoot 4y agoDesperate wolves have successfully hunted moose. I suspect at worst they'd adapt a strategy to distract the hogs and eat the piglets. 24/7 hog harassers would be much more effective than sporadic hobby hunters. The stress of a constant wolf presence could also disrupt uninterrupted eating and breeding patterns.
- throw-4e451c8 4y ago[flagged]
- dean2432 4y agohow do you downvote on HN?
- the_only_law 4y agoYou need to have more karma points. I don’t remember the exact number, but I think it’s either 50 or 500.
- davchana 4y ago500. Downvote button I think is available for first few hours of comment.
- fortran77 4y agoIt's a problem here in Israel too! https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/world/middleeast/haifa-israel-wild-boars.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/world/middleeast/haifa-is... And here, they feel very safe.
- microtherion 4y agoOne natural resource that will never be fought over between Jews and Muslims.
- lebuffon 4y agoOh my. This surely falls under the category: G_d has a sense of humour.
- 0xbadc0de5 4y ago<insert joke about Canada's bloated government>
- motohagiography 4y agoThe solution is to eat them. It's humane and it's free range pork. Let rural butchers test and certify the meat and sell it to local restaurants as a super premium product, then leverage the now all electronic game tag system for supply chain management. The only thing standing in the way of solving the feral pig problem is the attitudes of the urban governing class toward people capable of hunting and our histrionic firearms regulations. Maybe the middle ground is to make it a military privilege to hunt feral hogs where you need to be a reservist, and if you join you get a lifetime rural open carry and hunting permit. Canada is uniquely vulnerable to feral pig problems owing to what can only be described as a popular resentment of rural culture, which makes solutions like commercial hunts and culling by hunters non-viable. Maybe I should move to a U.S. border state and operate a commercial hunt business.
- darkwizard42 4y agoAh here is the issue, feral pig meat isn’t really pork the way most people know it. It’s gamey and often parasite ridden.
- motohagiography 4y agoMaybe the solution is to kill the parasites, through detection and processing technology, and spraying habitats. If we really can't eat them, the other solution is to use chemistry to make something that feral pigs get addicted to and that they will give up food, sex, and nursing their young in pursuit of, and which is a human controlled substance we can manage. Drop enough of it in their habitats that they can always become dependent. If you just try to poison them, you kill off their own competition for food and just create more resilliant ones, but creating a chemical dependency where they will seek out sources that humans control would provide the lever to manage the population. This solution is related to one I commented on about the rat population in new york city. Just make something they want. I should do a startup, we could call it Pied Piper.
- SamoyedFurFluff 4y agoIt’s very difficult to kill the parasites of precisely one species with broad applicability. Also, your goals and the goals of environmentalists seems to be quite different here. You’re suggesting farming them, but environmentalists don’t actually want them there at all.
- DeathArrow 4y agoSome people complain there are too many wild pigs, while other people complain they have nothing to eat. Can't those problems be solved at the same time?
- likeraindrops 4y agoCBC has an article [1] with more pictures of the pigs themselves, tusks and all, as well as their typical weight. Over 300 pounds! Largest recorded was 640 lbs. They remind me more of wild zebras than friendly farm oinkers. [1] https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/why-canadas-super-pigs-might-not-be-so-super-after-all https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/why-canadas-super-pigs-migh...
- ornornor 4y ago> Back in the ’80s and ’90s, Eurasian wild boar were brought here to be raised for their meat. > A number of the animals escaped from their pens and mated with domestic pigs. Yet another human caused issue. What a surprise.
- MagicMoonlight 4y agoPigloos!!! Do we have to wipe them out? Just because they’re surviving our extinction event doesn’t mean they’re evil
- sdwr 4y agoI believe this was a feature of the techno-apocalypse in Oryx and Crake by our very own Margaret Atwood
- ETH_start 4y agoSiberian tigers are proficient predators of wild boars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar >>A single tiger can systematically destroy an entire sounder by preying on its members one by one, before moving on to another sounder. Siberian tigers are endangered due to poachers seeking to meet the demand for tiger body parts in traditional Chinese medicine, and could be well protected by Canadian conservation authorities on Canadian soil far from China. A population could be transplanted to Canada and allowed to proliferate, to act as a natural wild pig limiter.
- MagicMoonlight 4y agoI mean I absolutely want tigers to be set loose in the countryside but I feel like that’s going to then end in people shooting tigers out of helicopters with a machine gun. If people are willing to move on from the idea that we have to try and keep animals exactly where they were and preserve habitats (that we then wipe out) then we could probably save species like that. Tigers would do great in a nice forest full of pigs.
- giardini 4y agoNIMBY. Tiger meat is too tough, not tasty enough and there aren't enough recipes for preparation. I credit this to a scarcity of tiger hunts. Step 1 in every recipe ("kill the tiger") is always a bitch! I'd much prefer being overrun with feral pigs than feral tigers. Bacon!8-))