A population of hard-to-eradicate 'super pigs' in Canada is threatening to invade the US
In this Feb. 18, 2009 file photo, feral pigs roam near a Mertzon, Texas ranch. Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana and other northern states are making preparations to stop a threatened invasion from Canada. Wild pigs already cause around $2.5 billion in damage to U.S. crops every year, mostly in southern states like Texas. But the exploding population of feral swine on the prairies of western Canada is threatening spill south. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate "super pigs" in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.
In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a "super pig" that's spreading out of control.
Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada's leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, "the most invasive animal on the planet" and "an ecological train wreck."
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