The Alberta government has come up with a way to keep wild boar in the province under control, and it plans to pay $75 bounties to hunters and trappers for each wild boar that is caught.
In a statement, the government said new measures were needed to “eliminate the destructive pest’s threat to crops, livestock and the environment.”
In an expanded trapping and control program, the number of wild boars in the province will be measured and there will be more active trapping, it said.
The government also launched two separate bounty programs — one for landowners and government-approved trappers and another for hunters — with compensation for killed or trapped wild boar.
In the one-year bounty program for hunters, people who turn in wild boar ears will receive $75 per set. The initiative will be running in participating municipalities across Alberta until March 31, 2023.
Landowners and government-approved trappers will also be compensated with $75 per set of ears per sounder (or herd) as part of an effort to eliminate entire groups of wild boar. The whole-sounder incentive is set to last two years, until March 31, 2024.
“As their expiry dates near, both programs will be evaluated for effectiveness and next steps will be determined,” the government said.
So far, the County of Stettler and the Municipal District of Peace have signed on to both programs.
Wild boar at large are a threat to crops, livestock and the environment. Alberta’s government is taking action by expanding trapping and surveillance as well as working with municipalities on solutions that work for them.
AB Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Dev @AB Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Dev
“Wild boar at large are a threat to our animals and environment, as well as a vector for diseases like African swine fever,” said Nate Horner, Alberta’s minister of agriculture, forestry and rural economic development.
“We are taking action to get rid of this menace and help those affected by it before it gets worse.”
This article by Charlie Hart was first published by Narcity Edmonton on 6 April 2022. Lead Image: A wild boar. Jevtic | Dreamstime.
What you can do
Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.
Leave a Reply