14 wild boars on the loose in Pickering trapped and euthanized after weeks-long search
By Nick Westoll Posted Dec 7, 2021, 4:56PM EST.Last Updated Dec 7, 2021, 7:30PM EST.
The Ontario government is reporting more than a dozen wild boars seen roaming in north Pickering have been trapped after a weeks-long search.
Morgan Kerekes, an Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry spokesperson, told CityNews on Tuesday that 11 wild pigs were captured by staff at the end of November while the last three boars were trapped on Monday.
She said in a statement crews over the past several weeks installed trail cameras and bait traps in areas where property owners reported seeing 14 boars.
However, Kerekes said the boars were “humanely euthanized and will be sent for necropsy and research.”
“Through this research, we will learn about the condition of wild pigs in Ontario, potential diseases and pathogens and outcomes will inform future management,” she wrote.
“The ministry considers many factors in determining the appropriate method for removing wild pigs from the natural environment, such as whether wild pigs could be a vector for disease, if they are breeding in the wild or are causing damage, and whether ownership can be determined.”
It was on Nov. 5 when ministry officials first reported receiving reports of the wild pigs, believed to be Eurasian wild boar, near the hamlets of Brougham and Claremont. It wasn’t clear where the boars came from. In the days that followed, the number of reports grew and so did the fears of reproduction.
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Originally Posted by DanO
