How drones and DNA testing are being used to hunt down invasive wild pigs in Manitoba
Experts warn animals pose risk of African swine flu spread if disease arrives in Canada
Thermal drones and environmental DNA testing are showing promise in strengthening Manitoba's fight against invasive, destructive and disease-carrying wild pigs.
Squeal on Pigs, a public awareness campaign aiming to stop the spread of the invasive Eurasian wild boar and cross-bred pigs across the province, says eradication is within reach.
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eradication → use → reach
It warns the invasive animal poses major risks, including spreading African swine fever, and wreaking havoc on agricultural land and ecosystems.
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animal → warn → land
"We've got a real chance of being able to get rid of them, if we're persistent," said Wayne Lees, Squeal on Pigs program co-ordinator.
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Lees → get → Pigs
The program is organized by Manitoba Pork and gets funding from the federal and Manitoba governments.
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program → organize → governments
The group logged 240 confirmed wild pigs spotted provincewide last year, as removal efforts increased.
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efforts → log → pigs
Wild pig population control has been an ongoing issue since the 1980s, but Lees believes two key technologies — thermal imaging drones and environmental DNA testing of water samples — are pushing the province closer to being free of wild pigs.
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technologies → believe → pigs
He highlighted Alberta's rat control program as a proven model that shows years of sustained, targeted efforts can eradicate an invasive species from a province.
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years → highlight → province
Wayne Lees, Squeal on Pigs program co-ordinator, says the program logged 240 confirmed wild pigs provincewide last year.
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program → say → pigs
Strides in technology are making it easier to track the pests.
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it → make → pests
Thermal drones allow teams to survey dense and inaccessible terrain more easily, while DNA testing helps hone in on potential groups of the animals.
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testing → allow → animals
We're making progress.…
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We → make → progress
If we're diligent and maintain our efforts, we will be able to eradicate them from Manitoba," Lees said.
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Lees → maintain → Manitoba
"Maybe in a decade we won't need to talk about this anymore."
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we → need → this
Spruce Woods Provincial Park, about 140 kilometres west of Winnipeg, remains a major hot spot and a key target for eradication.
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Park → remain → eradication
"It's an island of bush land surrounded by agriculture," Lees said.
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Lees → surround → agriculture
"The wild pigs can go in there and hide out, and then they've got a feed source."
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they → go → source
The primary disease threat posed by the animals is African swine fever, which is highly contagious and fatal to both commercial and wild pigs, Lees said.
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Lees → pose → pigs
The disease, which poses no threat to humans, is currently not in Canada.
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which → pose → Canada
Lee warns that if the disease ever takes hold in wild populations, it could spread to commercial herds, devastating Manitoba's hog industry.
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it → warn → industry
Manitoba developed a response plan to cull and dispose of hundreds of thousands of pigs if an outbreak should occur.
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outbreak → develop → pigs
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Alberta testing AI-powered drone technology in battle against wild boar
Cassidy Klima, executive director of Animal Health Canada, said Manitoba is leading the charge when it comes to eradicating the invasive species.
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it → probe → species
The national organization brings together industry and governments to prepare for and manage foreign animal disease outbreaks.
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organization → bring → outbreaks
If African swine fever spreads to Canada, wild pigs could severely jeopardize food security and pork production, Klima said.
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Klima → spread → security
Cassidy Klima, executive director of Animal Health Canada, is optimistic about getting rid of wild pigs.
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Klima → rid → pigs
She pointed to recent outbreaks in Europe damaging pork industry exports as an example, including an outbreak in Finland that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported in August.
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Agency → point → August
"If African swine fever gets into our commercial herds, it can really decimate our food, our pork sector," Klima said.
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Klima → get → food
"If we don't safeguard against that, no one else will."
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one → safeguard → that
The wild pigs originated from commercial wild boar farming in the 1980s.
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pigs → originate → 1980s
Klima said that in many cases, farms would shut down and release the animals into the wild.
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farms → say → wild
Provincial regulation now prohibits wild boar farming to prevent further population expansion.
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regulation → prohibit → expansion
A 2025 regulatory change under the Wildlife Act and the Exotic Wildlife Regulation banned importing or possessing the animals.
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change → ban → animals
For now, Klima said she's optimistic for the future.
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she → say → future
"Eradication is a true potential in Canada," she said.
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she → say → Canada
"We have a national strategy.
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We → have → strategy
We have a lot of people invested in seeing this through."
A group of wild pigs can leave a trail of destruction.
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group → have → destruction
But declining population density presents challenges, making remaining groups of wild pigs harder to find, Klima said.
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Klima → decline → pigs
That makes public awareness critical.
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awareness → make → ?
While the nocturnal wild pigs are rarely spotted directly, their environmental impact is stark, she said.
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she → spot → ?
A group of the animals, called a sounder, can leave trails of destruction across farms and pastures while devastating native ecosystems.
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group → call → ecosystems
they don't really fit into the environment," Klima said.
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Klima → fit → environment
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
