State pushes to prevent, control feral swine in Montana

As feral swine make their way closer and closer to Montana on the U.S.-Canadian border, state officials have prepared a plan to control and eradicate invasive species if spotted in the state, as well as working to educate people on what to do if feral swine are spotted in their area.

"What we've learned from experience, from other states' experiences, hunting doesn't work and, in fact, it actually makes the problem worse," Department of Livestock State Veterinarian Dr. Martin Zaluski said. 

He added that Montana strictly prohibits people from hunting feral swine and encourages people, if they spot something they suspect to be feral swine, to call the Department of Livestock as soon as possible.

The Department of Livestock has a number people can call at any time to report suspected sightings of feral swine, 406-444-2976, which is part of the department's Squeal on Pigs program, he said.

Havre Fish, Wildlife and Parks office Wildlife Biologist Scott Hemmer said if people spot something they believe is a feral swine they should not attempt to deal with it themselves but rather report the sighting to the Department of Livestock.

He said Montana has no confirmed cases.

"They are close enough it could be any time," he said.

Feral swine have been spotted closer and closer to the U.S.-Canadian border, with sightings in parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, Zaluski said. People have also spotted feral swine in Idaho with some regularity and parts of North Dakota, although no population in North Dakota has been confirmed.

Zaluski said feral swine are very prolific and can have up to two litters a year, with six to eight piglets in each litter. He added that each piglet can reach sexual maturity by six months of age. The potential growth of feral swine population makes it extremely difficult to eradicate and control.

Feral swine are also highly adaptable to different situations, he said. 

He said feral swine can have a large environmental impact as well as negatively affect agriculture. They tend to destroy crops and tear up soil - depleting the ground of resources - and they can destroy other animals' habitats. Feral swine, although their diets consist of mostly roots, have also been known to eat birds, lambs and at times calves and deer, although it is not very common.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that a woman in Texas was attacked and killed by feral swine, Zaluski said.

"That's something we don't bring up, public safety issues, because we don't want to be alarmists and those attacks are extremely rare, but I think it would be inappropriate to entirely ignore that risk," Zaluski said.

The Department of Livestock sees two major issues in preventing feral swine from entering the state, he added.

He said it is natural for feral swine to migrate to different areas and explore new areas. Feral swine do not see borders or adhere to state jurisdiction.

He said the state has been very vigilant in tracking the migration of feral swine. The state is also working to improve and increase awareness of the issues surrounding feral swine and educate people on what they should do if they encounter feral swine.

He added that the Department of Livestock has partnered with the wildlife division of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the state's invasive species council to address feral swine.

But what has possibly contributed the most to the expansion of the populations of feral swine are people, he said.

In the past, people have transported feral swine from places where they were common to new locations to create opportunity for hunting and other sports activities.

"I would probably put that on the top of my list of concerns because it's one that doesn't travel fast on hoof but 80 miles an hour on the back of a trailer," Zaluski said.

Montana has one of the strongest laws against feral swine in the country, he said, and has an extensive list of what is prohibited as well as significant fines attached if people choose to violate the state statute.

Hunting or shooting at feral swine also exacerbates the issue, he said.

"It seems intuitive that if a state is concerned about feral swine, the state should allow and promote hunting feral swine to get rid of the animal," he said. "... But history shows us that the states that have allowed or promoted hunting as a method of controlling feral swine have actually found the effect to be the opposite."

When shot at, feral swine tend to scatter, running anywhere between 10 to 15 miles to flee from the danger, he said. After they disperse they also tend to travel in smaller groups and shy away from human presence. He added that feral swine are also intelligent and adapt to situations. For example, if people hunt during the day, they will start to travel at night, if people attempt to use traps, the feral swine will tend to avoid the traps and become harder and harder to find.

"Our number one ask of the public is to let us know about feral swine, so we can try to stamp these animals out as soon as possible," Zaluski said, adding, "It needs to be done by professionals."