The Ontario government is working to “trap and remove” a sounder of wild boars roaming east of Toronto that have the ability to “spread rapidly” if not contained.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry told CTV News Toronto on Monday that they were first alerted to the boars in Pickering on Nov. 5 and responded to the area the next day.
“Since then, we have received several additional sightings of this same group of wild pigs,” spokesperson Morgan Kerekes said.
The boars are believed to be Eurasian wild boars — a species invasive to Ontario.
“Wild pigs are not native to Ontario and can have a negative impact on native wildlife and ecosystems,” Kerekes advised. “They have high reproductive potential which means that populations can increase in number and spread rapidly, making their impacts more severe.”
According to the Ministry, such impacts include preying upon native plants and wildlife, competing with native wildlife for food, water, and space, damaging the ground with their tusks, impacting water quality, spreading disease and aggressive behaviour.
Now, the Ministry is working to “trap and remove” the boars — a strategy they say has been successful in other jurisdictions, such as upstate New York.
The Ministry says that, because the boars are an invasive species, they will likely be euthanized.
Pickering resident Mary Delaney said she spotted the boars on Monday morning in her yard.
She says she called the Ministry of Natural Resources before driving up the road to view them once again.
Delaney says there were 14 boars when she spotted them.
The province of Ontario defines a wild pig as “any pig that is not contained or under the physical control of any person or is otherwise roaming freely."
If you spot a wild boar, the Ministry asks that you report the sighting at wildpigs@ontario.ca or 1-833-933-2355.
