Governments rush to stop invasive species, including feral boars, invading North America
We’d gotten about as far into the Florida brush as my midsize rental could go, but we were still several miles from the pig trap. So I parked next to a barbed wire fence, and climbed up into the back seat of our guide’s pickup truck with W5 producer, Denise Kimmel.
As we started bumping forward, Denise discreetly tapped my shoulder and nodded toward the coffee mug sitting between the two front seats. The black, bold lettering made it clear what our guide’s political views were: “I Lubricate my Guns with Liberal Tears.”
We weren’t in Toronto any more, Toto.
We’d come to Florida for our W5 story on invasive species, because nowhere else in North America is as overrun. Florida is now home to Burmese pythons, green iguanas, tegu lizards, giant African land snails, lionfish, and more than 500 other non-native plants and animals.
In the world of invasive species, Florida is king. The sunshine state is home to hundreds of invasive species. (W5)
But even against that list, the feral pig stands apart. Its intelligence, the magnitude of the damage it causes and its ability to always stay two steps ahead of humans’ attempts to corral them make pigs an especially ominous foe. And they aren’t just in Florida. They’re marching across the United States, and quickly making inroads into Canada.
As a biologist, I’m both fascinated and terrified by invasive pigs. And as an avid hunter and outdoorsman, our host Mike French has seen first-hand how smart, elusive, and destructive they can be.
Today, Mike was leading us to one of his favourite hunting spots, a secluded area just a few miles from Yeehaw Junction, where we’d be able to see the latest tool in the battle against boars: a live trap called the “Pig Brig.”
Driving along the edge of a pasture, with a stand of palmetto trees beside us, I told Mike how beautiful I thought the landscape was. Mike said it was his favourite place in the world.
Before long, the truck came to a stop in a small clearing. Some other local hunters who had come along pulled up beside us with our W5 cameraman, Jerry Vienneau. Together, we walked up to have a look at the empty trap.
The “Pig Brig” consisted of a circular ring of soft, but strong netting, about as tall as my armpits. Where the walls of the pen met the floor, there were several extra feet of netting, which spread out like the train of a wedding dress toward the inside of the circle.
This arrangement allows pigs to easily get into the trap – rooting their way under the netting as they press their snouts into the ground. But it makes it very hard for a pig to get back out, since by the time its head touches the wall, it's already standing on the net itself.
We took a little while to explore the area. I pointed out a Yellow-throated Warbler (my first one!), and Mike showed us evidence of deer having recently passed through. Together, our team put some bait into the trap (corn and leftover birthday cake), set up our cameras, then headed back to the vehicles. With any luck, we’d have footage of pigs going into the net that very night.
I get a lot out of exploring new places – it’s one of the things I love most about reporting for W5. But as I thanked Mike, and got back into my own car, I thought back to the first impression I’d gotten from his coffee mug, and realized I’d gotten something else from my experience in nature that day.
Mike and I come from fairly different worlds, and in other settings we might have found ourselves arguing about some topic or another. But that day we’d really just enjoyed one another’s company. Everyone loves being outside, in nature. That’s one thing that unites all of us. And that’s just another great reason to protect nature from the onslaught of invasive species.
Correspondent Dan Riskin; Producer Denise Kimmel
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Local Spotlight
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.