A couple of years ago, farmers in Canada decided to breed their hogs with feral populations to make a larger breed that produced more meat and was easier to shoot. The farmers soon let this breed run free because of a drop in the market prices of pig products. They originally thought that the pigs wouldn’t survive the harsh Canadian winter, but they did. To keep warm, these pigs burrow down into the ground and rely on their own body heat to survive.

The species is smarter than any other species of pig. The Guardian even deemed them “Highly Intelligent”. It was quite a surprise to many people that the pigs were able to survive the winter. All was fine until scientists started noticing that the pigs were both multiplying and having a devastating effect on the populations of waterfowl and deer. When the pigs were first released, they were expected to just die out during the winter, so no one was trying to eradicate the species because they weren’t a threat to future populations. 

Now the pigs are on their way South and have already been spotted in North Dakota. There is speculation that they will also be a threat to New York. They are extremely elusive and physically resilient, so they may be around for years to come. Their existence could be detrimental to some species of waterfowl. They have been seen hunting ducks and geese on many occasions. These pigs are much larger than normal, so they have also been hunting whitetail deer populations in Canada and the United States.

Some pigs weigh over 600 pounds. They destroy any crops in their paths, feasting on wheat, barley, and canola. They are opportunistic omnivores, so they’ll eat pretty much anything they can get. 

The pigs are extremely destructive. They wreak havoc on wildlife populations and on farmers’ crops. Their population just keeps on growing though, and there seems to be no good way to maintain them. Right now, the only thing being done to combat the growth and destruction of the pigs is small-scale hunting. Local hunters are encouraged to hunt and kill these pigs, but when they do, it’s only one or two at a time. 

The biggest concern right now is that the pigs are coming more into the United States. There is a high risk of them damaging the natural environment and spreading diseases in cities. There is a possibility that the pigs won’t be able to reach it all the way to New York, but if they do, they will come with even more damage and risk than in other places. 

There seems to be no end in sight to these pigs’ existence. They have no natural predators, and therefore nothing to stop them from populating extremely rapidly without any consequences or holdbacks. The waterfowl species should be alright though. In fact, Canadian waterfowl saw a 15 percent population increase from 2019 to 2022. The pigs just need to be maintained, and people are still trying to find a way to do so. Right now the biggest goal should be keeping them out of New York State and commercial farming plots.