The Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Report was developed collaboratively with participating provincial wild pig control programs.
The report shows the location of known, established populations of wild pigs in Canada, field activities to prevent, manage and remove wild pigs as well as locations of verified reports of any type of wild pig.
The Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Reports for 2023 and 2024 were published in 2025 through the collaborative support of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario wild pig control programs. Other provinces and territories are engaged and may contribute information in the future.
Both reports were created with the assistance of funding through the African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program and the AgriAssurance Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Wild pigs are not native to Canada. Free-roaming pigs are present in Canada, and in some jurisdictions, there are established populations of wild pigs. Wild pigs include escaped domestic pigs, Eurasian wild boars and their hybrids (species Sus scrofa). The Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Report includes data on all pigs that are not contained or under the physical control of any person and are otherwise roaming freely.
Wild pigs cause damage and destruction to ecosystems, disrupt crops and native vegetation and can carry infectious diseases that threaten human, wildlife and domestic animal health. Some of the diseases wild pigs can carry could disrupt Canada’s export-driven livestock industry. Preventing and controlling the potential spread of any foreign animal disease such as African swine fever and foot and mouth disease in Canada’s wild pig population has implications for wildlife and commercial livestock.
Canada does not have either of these diseases but is invested in prevention and response and prepared in the event of a foreign animal disease making its way to Canada. Federal, provincial, territorial governments and the livestock industry, with coordinated support through Animal Health Canada, are working together to proactively enhance foreign animal disease prevention, response planning and preparedness in Canada. The Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Reports are one of many activities happening through this collaboration.
The data is based on participating provincial control programs protocols for managing and verifying sightings and initiating field activities to remove pigs.
The data shows:
The public, and anyone involved with wild pig research and control, in Canada is invited to report wild pigs to the control programs and be part of the data collection process. Provincial contact information for the wild pig programs can be found in the report.
Provincial control programs rely on public reports to know where wild pigs are located and begin the process of determining how to manage the pig or group of animals. Wild pigs are notoriously difficult to find. A sighting does not necessarily reflect the presence of established populations of invasive pigs. Public reports are skewed towards escaped domestic pigs, are more frequent in areas with higher human populations and are more common where public awareness campaigns are established and successful. The provincial wild pig control programs are focused on prevention, management and removal of pigs when their presence is established.
Wild pig types include Eurasian wild boar, domestic types and hybrids of the two. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, sounders (or groups of self-sustaining Eurasian wild pigs) are the biggest concern. Ontario is more likely to have reports of lone pot belly pigs and British Columbia deals with feral domestic pig breeds. Uncontained pigs present a risk of spreading disease regardless of their type.
The data for 2023 and 2024 were collected, collated and mapped using the same criteria across the participating provinces. A comparison of the data does not indicate differences in the location of established populations of wild pigs. For more details on the provincial program data, look to the reports referenced by program area.
Provincial and territorial wild pig control programs are tailored to each jurisdiction’s specific circumstances. Key factors include the type of wild pigs present, whether the programs are focusing on prevention or are removing established wild pigs, the legal authority for intervention, and existing regulations governing hunting, stray livestock and wild boar farming.
British Columbia and Ontario
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
See a list of provincial and territorial wild pig control programs here.
Every province has a mechanism for reporting escaped or at-large animals, including pigs. Wild pigs are not found in every province. Currently, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario contribute information to this report. Other provinces and territories are engaged and may contribute information in the future.
To see an overview of the provincial and territorial wild pig programs and applicable legislation, visit the Wild Pigs Canada website.