Feral pigs illegally transported within Australia
Not only in North America does the spread of invasive feral pigs cause a headache – in Australia they exist, too. Attempts have been made to illegally establish a population in South Australia state using animals caught elsewhere.
Feral pigs are an invasive species to Australia, but populations are known to exist in the northern and eastern states of the country (Queensland and New South Wales). Increasingly, animals are being detected in South Australia, the state that includes the city of Adelaide. They constitute major problems as they wreck harvests, potentially reproduce quickly and could spreader diseases.
Feral pigs recently found and destroyed on South Australia’s Limestone Coast – a region south of Adelaide – were confirmed to have been brought in from the state of New South Wales. That became clear after DNA testing, writes Australia’s media outlet ABC.
Introducing feral pig populations
The news outlet got in touch with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board (LCLB), which confirmed that over the last 3-4 years, 3 attempts had been made to introduce a pig population in the region near the coastal towns Kingston SE, Robe and Mount Burr.
The board said it managed to intervene quickly to make sure the populations did not settle there permanently. The tests carried out showed that the feral pigs caught hailed from the south of New South Wales state – at least 500 km away.
There are suspicions that people catch the animals, transport them and release them in South Australia for hunting purposes. It has happened that pregnant feral pig sows got found with their ears cut off, an LCLB spokesman told ABC. That would make it more difficult for dogs to catch them – a sign that people are trying to establish populations.
Australia’s main centres of pig production are in the states on the east coast, in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
