Montana– Montana and Washington invasive species councils have teamed up in effort to prevent feral pigs from spreading across state and international lines.
”Wild pig populations are expanding in the western provinces of Canada and in the United States.” Coordinator of the Montana Invasive Species Council (MISC) Stephanie Criswell said via release. “We are at a unique point in time where we can work together to prevent Canadian wild pigs from spreading across borders into unaffected states like Montana.”
Feral pigs look similar to domestic pigs but are known to be aggressive and cause damage to fields, fences and property, according to the release from MISC. They endanger ground-nesting birds and are capable of clearing out crop fields overnight, the release continued.
Their ideal environment is vast with water supply and heavy cover.
“Feral swine are one of the most destructive invasive species in existence,” Criswell said in MISC’s release. “Once established, they cause millions of dollars in agricultural, environmental and property damage. We do not want them in Montana and this effort was a key step in coordinating with neighboring states and provinces on the issue.”
Both the Montana and Washington invasive species council completed report in December intending to help federal, state, provincial and local landowners on how control feral pig populations in the western United States and Canada.
The report includes suggestions and the best management tactics to tackle feral pig populations within state and international borders.
“Feral swine don’t respect international borders or jurisdictions,” Coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council Justin Bush said in MISC’s release. “This process brought everyone in the neighborhood together to address this important issue.”
