Could Sodium Nitrate bait pods be the answer to controlling feral hog populations? Photo: iStock.com/yhelfman
A government bounty program for feral pigs is under way in Alberta, as the Canada province seeks ways to battle the porcine pests as they expand their range.
“I like to be an optimist,” Charlotte Shipp, Alberta Pork’s industry programs manager, told Producer.com when asked if the problem can be controlled. “I think, yes. Everybody is at attention, standing up and really doing what needs to be done in engaging and eradication.”
The provincial government pays approved trappers $75 per set of ears. The same is offered to landowners under the “Whole Sounder Trapping Incentive Program.” Hunters also will be paid $75 per set of ears as part of the one-year, pilot “Wild Boar at-Large Ear Bounty Program.” Agricultural damage already is covered by a government agency payout program.
Feral pigs are believed to have been in Canada for at least 20 years, if not longer. They are found in the country’s four western provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
