Canadian "super pigs" could invade northern U.S. states, raising concerns as they could lead to billions of dollars worth of crops.
To give you an idea, super pigs are considered to be the most invasive animal on the planet. Because of how damaging these pigs are, experts call them "ecological train wrecks."
If you are living in Minnesota and other northern states in the U.S., here's what you need to know about these super pigs.
Canadian Super Pigs Could Invade Northern States
According to Fortune's latest report, the super pig (aka feral swine) is the crossbreed between wild Eurasian boars and domestic pigs; they have the survival skills of wild boars and the high fertility of domestic swine.
Imagine a super wild boar that can reproduce easily in the wild. Now, experts claim that these super pigs are getting out of control.
CBS News reported that Canadian super pigs are not really native to North America. Canada's issue with these feral swine began in the 1980s when officials encouraged farmers to raise wild boars.
Years later, the market collapsed (2001). Because of their frustrations, farmers decided to set these feral pigs free. Little did they know that despite being crossbreeds, super pigs are very good at surviving winters in Canada.
They are also smart to adapt to extreme environments; and can eat anything from wildlife to crops. Another alarming thing about super pigs is that they can easily spread diseases to hog farms, such as African swine fever.
Now, experts claim that super pigs roaming in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, could invade northern states, such as North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana.
Hunting No Longer Effective Against Super Pigs
Many people would think that these super pigs can easily be solved by hunting them until their numbers drastically decline.
Unfortunately, experts in Saskatchewan and Manitoba warned that eradicating these feral boars is no longer working.
This is because of their high fertility and great survival skills. But, they clarified that there's a way U.S. states can fight these feral pigs.
The key to eliminating them or preventing them from damaging crops is to find them early and fast before they can even reproduce to hundreds or thousands.
"The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox," said the University of Saskatchewan's Prof. Ryan Brook.
