Beware: It’s Happening in Texas, It Can Happen in Minnesota too

This is a situation that we have talked about before... but then the talks just kind of went away.  But now, seeing some of the destruction that can happen, we are back talking about it again.

Get our free mobile app

Wild Pigs.  These things are extremely destructive.  And right now they are in Canada, about 40 miles or so from the Minnesota border. They are also in Texas wreaking havoc.

The wild pigs in Texas are so bad, that there have been traps set up so that they aren't able to destroy quite as much as they would have had the traps not been there. But this is a real issue, and the destruction is a threat to the crops and livestock in the area.

From KARE 11:

“This is the worst invasive large mammal on the planet,” says Ryan Brook, a professor of agriculture and bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. “They reproduce so fast that you just can't barbecue your way out of a wild pig problem.” 

Yes, this is an issue right now in Texas, but they are also in Canada, and very close to Minnesota which means they could cross over and start migrating down through the state. Apparently the latest tracking that has been done on these pigs has shown HUNDREDS just north of the Minnesota border in Canada.

The bigger question is how did this even happen?

The issue was actually created by us... us as in a society... the the farmers North of us.

Brook says Eurasian wild boars were brought to Canada from the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 90s for farming and hunting. After 2001, the market for these pigs collapsed, and many frustrated farmers cut their fences and let them go, according to Brook.

“The potential for Canadian wild pigs to move into Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota, these are very real risks that could happen at any point now,” 

So, what to do now?  Why would you just cut the fence and let them go??  I guess this is a case of hindsight is always 20/20.  No one knew this was going to get this bad.  But now we need a solution for the problem.  The DNR and the board of Animal Health are working on it.  Stay tuned...