Squeal on Feral Pigs

Squeal on Feral Pigs

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

In a proactive step, the Oregon, Washington and Idaho Invasive Species Councils have launched a Squeal on Pigs campaign -- wild pigs that is.

The outreach campaign hopes to raise awareness about feral swine and the threat they pose to Pacific Northwest waterways and natural resources. The regional effort is intended to stop the expansion of feral swine populations, inform private landowners of the need to report feral swine, provide a convenient and easy way for people to report sightings of feral swine, and establish baseline population estimates and distribution.

Oregon Invasive Species Council Coordinator Lisa DeBruycke shares more about this collaborative effort.

DeBruycke: “The purpose is really to help us to have some eyes and ears on the ground in our three states to get people to report sightings or damage caused by feral swine. We don’t have great of population estimates of this species in the Pacific Northwest and because it is on the global 100 worst list of invasive species, we are very concerned about growing populations here.”

Feral swines’ destructive rooting and grubbing activities increase erosion and degrade water quality in streams and cause millions of dollars in agricultural, environmental and property damage. They also can transmit diseases to wildlife, livestock and humans.

To help people report sightings of feral swine, the tri-state Invasive Species Councils are providing a toll free number—a SWINE LINE, if you will—the number is 888-268-9219.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.