The public caught sight of no Eurasian wild boars last year reported the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Despite the decline in sightings, the ministry is urging continued monitoring because the invasive pigs are quite destructive of fields and forests.
Between Apr. 1, 2023 and Mar. 31, 2024, the ministry conducted investigated 35 sites, the same as the year before..
A total of 109 reports were received, 87 of which were determined to be “unique moderate or high confidence wild pig sightings.”
No Eurasian wild boar were confirmed during the 2023-24 reporting period. Three per cent of sightings were confirmed to be Eurasian wild boar in 2022-23.
Hunting Eurasian boar is prohibited because the pigs hide if hunted and become harder to identify, enabling them to breed, reported freelance reporter Matt McIntosh.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters reports studies from the United States that show 70 per cent of a wild pig population has to be killed just to keep it from growing. This number is “rarely if ever achieved.”
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture participated in the consultation period prior to the establishment of the province’s wild pig management strategy which included the prohibition of hunting.
