Feral Pig Control

Feral Pig Control

The question to wildlife managers who come in contact with wild pigs is how to control them. The feral pigs at large in the UK today may have some relation to wild boar but are unlike them in many ways. They are not a truly native species and can be extremely destructive to native eco-systems, pose health risks to humans and other animals and wreak havoc in crops, fields, pasture and woodland.

Understand your situation

We can help you understand the situation you find yourself in and what method of control would be helpful to you. Firstly, we will ascertain:

• how many pigs you are dealing with

• what their behaviours are

• what your terrain is like

• what your limitation are; these can be time, equipment and money

Once we ascertain this information, there are several types of control which can be discussed and the best option agreed upon. We currently offer the following methods

• Animal activated traps - these are continuous catch box traps or corral traps. The pros and cons are that box traps are ideal for catching individual pigs but educate those which are not captured.

• Human activated traps - we prefer portable suspended traps which are operated either by remote control mechanism from an observer or cellular closed circuit. Properly operated, these can catch entire sounders which avoids educating members of a group and avoids juveniles being separated from their mother.

• Shooting techniques - practised extensively in Europe, this is frequently carried out over baits. Another alternative is the use of a Judas pig which has been fitted with a radio tracking device and leads you to other pigs. This method has been used successfully with small populations of pigs as it allows you to catch up with a highly mobile population.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, we are happy to help and liaise with the relevant agencies to provide you with a successful outcome.