More than a dozen wild boars spotted roaming in Pickering, Ont. captured and euthanized
Over a dozen wild boars spotted roaming east of Toronto in early November have been captured and euthanized, government officials say.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry first launched an investigation into reports that 14 wild pigs were wandering around in Pickering, Ont. on Nov. 5.
Numerous people reported seeing the animals, including Pickering resident Mary Delaney who told CTV News Toronto that her husband spotted the boars in their yard.
"They surprised each other in an ‘E.T. meets Elliot in the cornfield’ moment,” she said.
Government officials expressed concern that the boars, which are an invasive species in Ontario, could have a significant impact on the province's natural environment and agricultural industry.
"They are considered one of the most damaging invasive species in the United States and have been called an ‘ecological train wreck’ due to trampling, wallowing, and rooting in sensitive habitats, and the significant damage they can cause to farmlands and stored crops," Morgan Kerekes, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Our goal is to reduce the disease risk these animals pose to Ontario’s domestic herd and the extensive damage they can do to agricultural crops."
Kerekes said that staff worked with local landowners to find out where the animals were frequenting and then set up bait and trail cameras in the area. Eleven wild boars were captured on Nov. 30 and the final three were found on Dec. 6.
"With respect to the wild pigs in the Pickering area, they were humanely euthanized and will be sent for necropsy and research," Kerekes said. "Through this research, we will learn about the condition of wild pigs in Ontario, potential diseases and pathogens and outcomes will inform future management."
Anyone who comes across a wild boar is encouraged to report the sighting to wildpigs@ontario.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.