Montana, Washington join forces to stop feral pigs
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News from the Montana Invasive Species Council
The Montana and Washington invasive species councils have joined forces to stop wild pigs from crossing borders.
The two councils issued a report with recommendations and best management practices aimed at helping federal, state, provincial and local landowners manage wild pigs in the western United States and Canada.
”Wild pig populations are expanding in the western provinces of Canada and in the United States,” said Stephanie Criswell, coordinator of the Montana Invasive Species Council. “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 resemble domestic pigs but are far more destructive. They prefer habitats with an abundant supply of water and dense cover. They are aggressive and may be extremely destructive to fields, fences and facilities. Their wallows can negatively impact ponds and wetlands. They can strip a field of crops in one night and pose a threat to ground-nesting birds and some endangered species. They also can transmit diseases and parasites, such as pseudorabies, brucellosis and tuberculosis to livestock and people.
Criswell continued: “Feral swine are one of the most destructive invasive species in existence. 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.”
In early 2020, the two invasive species councils convened a working group of more than 40 federal, state and Canadian feral swine experts to discuss challenges and opportunities to prevent feral swine along interstate and international borders. Finalized in December of 2020, the report includes 22 recommendations that address five strategic areas of feral swine management.
Recommendations include standardizing communications to the public, expanding monitoring networks by partnering with non-traditional organizations such as hunting groups and formalizing notification protocols for reports that will be shared between state and provincial authorities along the international border.
“Feral swine don’t respect international borders or jurisdictions,” said Justin Bush, coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council. “This process brought everyone in the neighborhood together to address this important issue.”
The complete report can be found at misc.mt.gov. The Montana Invasive Species Council is a statewide partnership working to protect Montana’s economy, natural resources and public health through a coordinated approach to combat invasive species.
