Ontario working to trap group of wild boars with potential to 'spread rapidly' if not contained
The Ontario government is working to “trap and remove” a sounder of wild boars roaming east of Toronto that have the ability to “spread rapidly” if not contained.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry told CTV News Toronto on Monday that they were first alerted to the boars in Pickering on Nov. 5 and responded to the area the next day.
“Since then, we have received several additional sightings of this same group of wild pigs,” spokesperson Morgan Kerekes said.
The boars are believed to be Eurasian wild boars — a species invasive to Ontario.
“Wild pigs are not native to Ontario and can have a negative impact on native wildlife and ecosystems,” Kerekes advised. “They have high reproductive potential which means that populations can increase in number and spread rapidly, making their impacts more severe.”
According to the Ministry, such impacts include preying upon native plants and wildlife, competing with native wildlife for food, water, and space, damaging the ground with their tusks, impacting water quality, spreading disease and aggressive behaviour.
Now, the Ministry is working to “trap and remove” the boars — a strategy they say has been successful in other jurisdictions, such as upstate New York.
The Ministry says that, because the boars are an invasive species, they will likely be euthanized.
Wild boars spotted roaming in Pickering (Courtesy of Mary Delaney)
Pickering resident Mary Delaney said she spotted the boars on Monday morning in her yard.
She says she called the Ministry of Natural Resources before driving up the road to view them once again.
Delaney says there were 14 boars when she spotted them.
The province of Ontario defines a wild pig as “any pig that is not contained or under the physical control of any person or is otherwise roaming freely."
If you spot a wild boar, the Ministry asks that you report the sighting at wildpigs@ontario.ca or 1-833-933-2355.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
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.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.