The 2023 Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Report was developed collaboratively. Participating provincial wild pig control programs, including those in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario collaborated to report on the location of known, established populations of wild pigs, field activities to prevent, manage and remove wild pigs as well as locations of verified reports of any type of wild pig. Other provinces and territories are engaged and may contribute information in the future.
Wild pigs cause damage and destruction to ecosystems, disrupt crops and native vegetation and can carry infectious diseases that threaten human, wildlife and domestic animal health. Some of the diseases wild pigs can carry could disrupt Canada’s export-driven livestock industry. Preventing and controlling the spread of any foreign animal disease in Canada’s wild pig population has implications for wildlife and commercial livestock.
African swine fever
African swine fever (ASF) is a disease in pigs and does not affect humans or the safety of pork products. More than 95 percent of pigs infected with the ASF virus will not survive. While African swine fever is not present in Canada, outbreaks in other parts of the world and international movement of people and goods have increased the risk the disease could arrive in Canada.
The 2023 Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Report is one of many activities happening by collaboration. Animal Health Canada, federal, provincial, territorial governments and the pig industry proactively enhance ASF prevention, response planning and preparedness in Canada under the Pan-Canadian ASF Action Plan.
Wild pigs are not native to Canada. Free-roaming pigs are present in Canada, and in some jurisdictions, there are established populations of wild pigs. Wild pigs include escaped domestic pigs, Eurasian wild boars and their hybrids (species Sus scrofa) and are included in the Wild Pig Report. These animals are not contained or under the physical control of any person and are otherwise roaming freely.
The 2023 Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Report summarizes:
This is the first time the wild pig provincial control programs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, along with Animal Health Canada, have collaborated to create a report based on the data from the provincial control programs. The location data for sightings and field activities are only for one year while the established population data is based on data from 2021 to 2023. We expect future maps to reflect changes in the location of pigs and control activities. The public, and anyone involved with wild pig research and control, in Canada is invited to report wild pigs to the control programs and be part of the data collection process.
Provincial and territorial wild pig control programs are tailored to each jurisdiction’s specific circumstances. Key factors include the type of wild pigs present, whether the programs are focusing on prevention or are removing established wild pigs, the legal authority for intervention, and existing regulations governing hunting, stray livestock and wild boar farming.
British Columbia and Ontario
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
See a list of provincial and territorial wild pig control programs here.
Every province has a mechanism for reporting escaped or at-large animals, including pigs. Wild pigs are not found in every province. Currently, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario contribute information to this report. Other provinces and territories are engaged and may contribute information in the future.
Provincial control programs rely on public reports to know where wild pigs are located and begin the process of determining how to manage the population. Wild pigs are notoriously difficult to find. A sighting does not necessarily reflect the presence of established populations of invasive pigs. Public reports are skewed towards escaped domestic pigs, are more frequent in areas with higher human populations and are more common where public awareness campaigns are established and successful. The provincial wild pig control programs are focused on prevention, management and removal of pigs when their presence is established.
Wild pig types include Eurasian wild boar, domestic types and hybrids of the two. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, sounders (or groups of self-sustaining Eurasian wild pigs) are the biggest concern. Ontario is more likely to have reports of lone pot belly pigs and British Columbia deals with feral domestic pig breeds. Uncontained pigs present a risk of spreading disease regardless of their type.
We are currently working on collating the data from 2024.
Overview of provincial and territorial programs
British Columbia
There are no known established populations of feral pigs in British Columbia. However, feral pigs have been reported in low numbers in several regions of the province. Most incidences involve domestic pigs that have been released into the wild or have escaped from private property and are subsequently recaptured or eradicated.
Any pig that is not in captivity or not otherwise under a person’s control is considered a feral pig under the provincial Wildlife Act, and it is an offence to release or abandon a pig. It is legal for licensed hunters to harvest feral pigs and reporting is compulsory.
Responses to feral pig incursions are coordinated by the B.C. Feral Pig Working Group and dealt with on a case-by-case basis by provincial biologists, conservation officers, landowners, and other partners. A surveillance program investigates occurrence reports and follows up with management actions.
For more information on feral pigs in B.C. or to report sightings, visit gov.bc.ca/invasive-species.
Alberta
Alberta has established populations of European wild boar and their hybrids. Wild boar are classified as pests when at large under the Agricultural Pests Act and Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation.
While farming of wild boar is generally allowed in Alberta, many municipalities have prohibited the possession of wild boar through bylaws. Wild boar farms must meet minimum containment standards. It is legal to hunt wild boar provided other laws are followed, including firearms and land access regulations.
The Alberta Wild Boar Control Program works in partnership with Alberta Pork, the Alberta Invasive Species Council, municipalities, and many other partners to prevent, detect and control wild boar. This includes an active monitoring and trapping program, crop insurance, and disease surveillance.
For more information or to report a sighting or sign visit alberta.ca/wildboar or call 310-FARM(3276).
Saskatchewan
Feral wild boars are primarily found in wetlands, such as large sloughs or small self-contained waterbodies. Management of these animals occurs on both public and private lands. Feral wild boars are declared as a regulated pest under the Plant Health Regulations in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) is responsible for delivering Saskatchewan’s Feral Wild Boar Control Program. From 2017 to 2025, over 1,000 wild boars were removed under this program which operates as part of SCIC’s Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.
Saskatchewan’s feral wild boar population is largely concentrated within two small areas of the province. Ongoing surveillance data between 2020 - 2024 has shown the harsh winter climate and SCIC’s ongoing management efforts have reduced the population significantly.
The Animal Production Regulations were proclaimed July 1, 2024. These regulations require wild boar farms in Saskatchewan to be licensed and mandate regular inspections, fencing requirements, reporting of escapes and maintaining records of wild boar farm inventories. A moratorium is now in place, prohibiting any new wild boar farms from being established within the province of Saskatchewan.
For more information or to report a sighting, visit www.scic.ca or call 1-833-PIGSPOT.
Manitoba
Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, established in 2022, is the collaborative program to control wild pigs in the province. It is funded by federal and provincial governments through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership and managed by Manitoba Pork.
Wild pigs in Manitoba are comprised of Eurasian wild boar (and their hybrids) and escaped domestic pigs. Most commercial pork production takes place in the southeast corner of the province, and wild pigs spotted in this region are typically those that have escaped from domestic enclosures. Sightings of wild pigs throughout the western part of the province are more likely to be Eurasian wild boar.
There have been no wild boar farm permits issued for several years but escaped animals have established breeding populations in two areas, one near Spruce Woods Park southeast of Brandon and the other near Peonan Point, along Lake Manitoba.
Active public outreach, surveillance, and trapping efforts occur throughout the province in response to reports from the public. The Spruce Woods population is currently being targeted through enhanced control efforts.
For more information or to report a sighting visit www.squealonpigsmb.org.
Ontario
The Ministry of Natural Resources recognizes the importance of taking a prevention-first approach to address invasive wild pigs in Ontario. The ministry has been gathering data since 2018 and in 2020, began actively researching, detecting, and investigating wild pig reports from the public and ministry trail cameras, and launched a communication campaign to share information and solicit public reports of any pigs outside of a fence.
The ministry follows up on all wild pig reports, and on a case-by-case basis communicates with the reporter, conducts on-site investigations, engages with municipalities, local businesses, and residents and, where appropriate, traps and removes wild pigs from the natural environment.
Ontario’s focus is on preventing the establishment of invasive wild pigs in the province, as outlined in Ontario’s Strategy to Address the Threat of Invasive Wild Pigs. Wild pigs are regulated as a restricted invasive species under the Invasive Species Act, 2015, hunting and releasing pigs is banned, and live Eurasian wild boar and their hybrids are prohibited in the province.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that there are established populations of invasive wild pigs in Ontario. As described in the Annual Report on Invasive Wild Pig Sightings: 2023–2024, most wild pig sightings are reported from southern Ontario and the majority are domesticated pigs that have escaped from enclosures or containment.
The ministry partners with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters to detect wild pigs by deploying trail cameras in Northwestern Ontario, a less populated area of the province. In 2023, no wild pigs were documented in over 154,000 photos submitted by member volunteers.
Invasive wild pig website: www.ontario.ca/wildpigs
Contact for reporting sightings: wildpigs@ontario.ca or 1-833-933-2355
To learn more about each program, contact the programs individually.
If you wish to learn more about invasive wild pigs in Canada and the impact they have on agriculture, ecosystems, cultural resources, and the economy, visit the Wild Pigs Canada website.