Feral pig kills ewe in the states Mid North

News article |

There have been a number of feral pig sightings in the region recently, with reports coming from Spalding, Quorn and Ardenvale.

A feral pig was shot and killed after being found within a mob of ewes and lambs on Nat and Dane Sommerville’s property just south of Spalding.

Mrs Sommerville said that upon discovery, the young male boar of approximately 120 kilograms had just killed a healthy ewe of approximately 70 kilograms, in an open un-arable hilly grassland paddock.

“The ewe was larger in frame than the boar and it appeared as though they had battled for some time over a 10 – 20 metre distance.

“This is a loss to our production ($125 ewe) and a concern if there are other feral pigs in our region causing stress to livestock and damage to the landscape,” Mrs Sommerville said.

Natural Resources Northern and Yorke Community Ranger Luke Gabell said that this is a regional issue for all landholders.

“Feral pigs can cause physical damage to structures and environmental destruction, as well as spreading disease and internal parasites which can affect people, livestock, horses, dogs and other animals,” Mr Gabell said.

“We need data and landholders are our eyes and ears. By providing timely details of sightings of pigs and the damage they do, we can build a picture of our current problem and begin to move forward.

“Like our coordinated fox efforts, if we can begin to acknowledge that this problem is ours as a whole, we will have a greater chance at controlling it.”

Pigs can move up to 65km in a day, though they usually stay in one area with occasional long-distance movements driven by seasonal availability of food, water and shelter.

Pigs normally breed twice a year but can breed year-round if conditions are favourable.

Ranging from 40-200kg when fully grown, they are opportunistic feeders, eating a range of vegetation, living or dead animals, as well as invertebrates and birds’ eggs.

To report a feral pig sighting, or evidence of feral pig damage, call the Clare Natural Resources Centre on 8841 3444, with details of the location, description of the animal and, if there is more than one, the number of animals in the group.

This information will assist Natural Resources Northern and Yorke staff and landowners in preventing feral pig numbers from building and becoming problematic.

Feral pigs are declared under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (South Australia) and it is an offence to release pigs. Anyone wanting to keep pigs must comply with instructions from the Natural Resources Management authority.

For information on feral pig management and control techniques, visit http://www.pestsmart.org.au/pest-animal-species/feral-pig/

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