Wild Boar Farm Ban Sought In Canada
No more wild boar meat for European and Asian markets?
In the late 1970s, a plethora of exotic animals such as alpaca, reindeer, ostriches, emus, fallow deer and wild boar were introduced to and raised on wildlife farms in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Wild boar were produced for meat but also raised to stock game ranches in the United States and elsewhere. The farms raise pure boar as well as boar hybrids. In 2006 401 farms produced boar. They reported 4,926 boar ( 2006 Census of Agriculture).
This practice may now come to an end. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities passed a resolution that encourages the Government of Saskatchewan, Canada, to place a “moratorium on specialty livestock farms raising wild boar.”
Numerous escapes into the wild of boar from the farms prompted this move. Estimates place the number of farm raised boar living in the wild at around 2,000 animals. About 3% of 'wild' boar on a farm escape successfully. The great fecundity of wild pigs almost guarantees a growing wild population on the prairies of Saskatchewan. The resolution urges the escapees to be declared a 'nuisance species' and calls for them to be killed on sight, explains the WikiNews in an article published on March 12, 2009.
According to this article “Cells of wild boars are ravenous creatures killing and eating everything in their path. Horses, cows, and other livestock run from wild boars, breaking through fences in the process.” Whoever wrote this has never seen wild pigs foraging peacefully among cattle and horses.
Australian wild boar farmers will be laughing all the way to the bank if this resolution becomes law in Canada. They will have the European and Asian markets for boar meat for themselves.
Hunting ranches in the US that imported some of their game from Canadian boar ranches might have a small problem replacing the purebred boar purchased in Canada with purebreds from other sources. At least temporarily. But there are plenty of wild pigs and boar hybrids available at auctions.
Wild Pig and boar populations are expanding rapidly worldwide. And so are the prices for wild pig hunts in the United States.
Why? Demand (hunters) is growing very slowly, if it is not stagnant, while the supply (wild pigs) is increasing rapidly. This scenario should produce lower prices for wild pig hunts. Correct? Wrong.
As we all know prices for hunting access and guided pig hunts are going up. The reason is rather simple: Over 90 percent of all wild pigs live on private land. Landowners have the right to grant or deny access to their holdings. Wild pig hunting thus has become big business and a substantial source of income for ranchers. Hunters have a choice between paying the access fees, however high, or not hunting private land.
This leads to a paradox: While governments have to hire expensive helicopters and “gunners” to eradicate wild pigs, hunters are traipsing around on public lands searching for wild pigs to hunt.
Wild pig eradication is big business for 'professionals'.
New Jersey showed in a small way how hunters can contribute considerably to keep wild boar populations under control as I reported in a previous post. Deer hunters were asked to shoot wild pigs they encounter during their deer hunts. The program was a great success eliminating about half of a known wild pig population.
Unfortunately, commercial interests are preventing hunters from assisting in the control of wild pig populations. These commercial interest group are organized and therefore carry political clout. Hunters are not or to a much lesser degree.
The results are reflected in increasing access and guide fees in California. Even Texas has exorbitant access fees for wild pig hunts on private ranches. And they have one whale of a wild pig problem there.
But a rancher would rather pay a professional wild pig eradicator than to lower fees or ease access to his ranch. One of the reasons I have never mentioned before is that not all hunters respect the landowner's property appropriately. While hunting on private hunting club property, I have seen the havoc irresponsible hunters can wreak on a property.
We will talk about this at another time.
PJJ
2 comments:
I believe that due to "Insurance Contingencies" and liability issues, is where the "paid eradication" programs came into play.
As far as wikinews and wikipedia are concerned, there are so many inconsistency's and false statements contained within both, that I would not put a grain of salt into their being anywhere near accurate.
They can kill as many swine as they want but remember, the #,s 333. Gestation period, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days.
That translate into an average of 3 litters per year,
Lot of animals to eradicate!
I suggest that each hunter whom takes to the field in a State Park which is closed 1 month out of the year for "wild swine" hunting purposes, be required to carry their own personal Hunting Liability Insurance Certificate.
Have the hunter's pay a nominal fee for that particular month and the State can realize an income for a change, rather than using our much needed tax dollars to pay for professional "Eradicators from New Zealand".
P.S.
I also found it rather hilarious how the author sensationalized his/her story by stating that, a wild hog herd will kill and eat everything in its path.
As you have stated in your article, that person obviously has never seen a herd peacefully foraging in amongst a cattle or horse herd.
I do know that a large Dominant Boar will eat a newborn calf if the opportunity presents itself, and maybe even a sow or juvenile will do the same as well.
But "Ravenous Hordes Ravaging Everything In Their Path"
Come on, Give it a break already!
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