Super Pigs Ready to Invade Montana, 18 Miles from North Dakota

Alright, if you got the radio bumper music ready to go- cue up "Super Freak"...but it's a Super Pig...Super Pig.

The "super pigs are coming."

That was one of the headlines shared by Evelyn Pyburn with the Big Sky Business Journal on Monday.

As Pyburn reports, Montana is among several states being threatened by an invasion of “super-pigs”, according to New Atlas. "The pigs have wreaked havoc in Canada and are on the verge of crossing the border into Montana, North and South Dakota and Minnesota. They have been seen 18 miles from the North Dakota border."

Why would it be so easy for wild hogs from Canada to cross into the US?

"Most of the US-Canadian boundaries are continuous farmland or forested landscapes, which can be easily crossed. The US has been home to 'normal' wild pigs for decades, but super-pigs are bigger, faster and more destructive, although less aggressive. Disease is also a big concern."

How quickly are they expanding their territory?

"Saskatchewan scientists have found that super-pigs are expanding their territory by 9% each year, leaving a path of ecological and agricultural destruction in their wake, having spread rapidly across the country, from British Columbia to Ontario and Quebec, in just a few years. The hybrid animals are more mobile than other breeds. In the late 1980s, Eurasian wild boar was introduced for fenced-in hunting, but when market demand changed, some were released into the wild. They bred with domestic pigs, evolving an ecological superpower to tolerate supreme cold and a high rate of reproduction."

By the way, earlier this year MSU Extension held several listening sessions along Montana's Northern tier which were highly attended. MSU Extension Wildlife Specialist Jared Beaver joined us on the radio for a very informative program following the meetings back in March. You can catch that full podcast below.