聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The other week we ran a story about wild boar in the southeastern area of Saskatchewan, about an ongoing study trying to track and determine the boars鈥� habits. I follow the, Wild Hog Watch (Feral Wild Boars), Facebook page, which is updated by someone involved with the study in the area and was surprised that after they shared our story, and really any story, about boars a slew of comments flood the comment sections asking for information on where they are.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The comments on one post included, 鈥淭ell me where to go and I鈥檒l come shoot some.鈥� 鈥淢y freezer needs one.鈥� 鈥淎sk and organize the local hunters to come and harvest pigs for the freezer. I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l get an overwhelming response.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 On a different article shared on Facebook the comments continued in this fashion, one stating that in their opinion the study was a waste of money. Why? Well because there鈥檚 been studies done in the United States and Australia.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now why was I surprised by all these comments? Because the articles clearly state that they are collaring pigs and tracking them, determining their habits north of the 49th parallel. Studies have been done in the States, but Saskatchewan has different terrain and a completely different climate than anywhere else. The study I read from Queensland, Australia states that control methods used on boar vary depending on the location area they are dealing with, which reinforces my view of the importance of a study in Saskatchewan as our topology and climate is vastly different than Queensland鈥檚.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The studies being conducted here are an important piece of the puzzle as they need to monitor and study the animals, because they are exceptionally adaptive to their surroundings.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Boar are extremely intelligent and when hunted by inexperienced people it exacerbates the problems. The boar adapt and become more difficult to locate 鈥� they, like any wild animal, avoid humans 鈥� the more they are hunted by people thinking that killing one or two is helpful the more issues develop. These people are misinformed, and make me feel like they didn鈥檛 even read the articles, as killing a couple boar, which can have two batches of six to 10 babies in a year, is meaningless when we look at the whole picture.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Well, that is, other than educating the boar on how to become more evasive. They don鈥檛 like people and will find ways to avoid them; therefore, people are being counterproductive and ultimately hindering the attempts to study the boar and the want of those conducting the study to create a viable eradication plan in Saskatchewan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 By coming into an area where a study is being conducted and deciding that you鈥檙e going to shoot a boar, what happens when that鈥檚 one of the collared hogs? All of a sudden all of the work that those conducting the study have put into it 鈥� trapping that particular hog, collaring it, and tracking it for information to eventually help the eradication effort 鈥� goes down the drain and they have to start again.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yes, boar are a problem. But, why don鈥檛 we support the studies in figuring out a game plan to eradicate them instead of essentially working against them. At the end of the day everyone wants the same thing, to eradicate the wild boar, so let those conducting the study in the area do so in peace.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 If this study is going to help in the long run, why be the one to interfere with it?
