The Director of the Emergency Management Division of Animal Health Canada reports substantial progress over the past year in the effort to coordinate and enhance the control of wild pigs in Canada.In addition to the damage wild pigs inflict on the landscape and on crops they present the potential to transmit disease to domestic pigs, the greatest threat being African Swine Fever.
Animal Health Canada, Squeal on Pigs Manitoba and Manitoba Pork will host the Canadian Wild Pig Summit II April 29th beginning at 8:30 am central.The online webinar will cover a range of topics including the use of environmental DNA to identify the presence or absence of invasive wild pigs, statistics on wild pig monitoring and surveillance projects and updates on the Canadian Wild Pig Strategy.Erica Charlton, the Director of the Emergency Management Division of Animal Health Canada, reports there has been substantial progress in the 12 months since last year's inaugural summit.
Clip-Erica Charlton-Animal Health Canada:
Saskatchewan has been doing aerial surveys over the course of this year.Alberta has implemented some more trail cams to identify wild pigs on the landscape, there's some drone work in Ontario.There's been some indigenous engagement as well over the course of this past calendar year, engaging indigenous communities on the Canadian Invasive Wild Pig Strategy.James Hood from Assiniboine College is doing a project related to environmental DNA sampling and how they're using that to detect the presence or absence of invasive wild pigs.
It's a touch base with the folks that are interested from where we've come from Wild Pig Summit version one this time last year. So, reporting on things that have happened in the field and efforts on mapping populations that have happened over the course of this year, so just a check in on progress being made.
Further information on the Canadian Wild Pig Summit II and a registration link can be accessed at animalhealthcanada.ca.
Source : Farmscape.ca