Ontario working to trap group of wild boars with potential to 'spread rapidly' if not contained

The Ontario government is working to “trap and remove” a sounder of wild boars roaming east of Toronto that have the ability to “spread rapidly” if not contained.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry told CTV News Toronto on Monday that they were first alerted to the boars in Pickering on Nov. 5 and responded to the area the next day.

“Since then, we have received several additional sightings of this same group of wild pigs,” spokesperson Morgan Kerekes said.

The boars are believed to be Eurasian wild boars — a species invasive to Ontario.

“Wild pigs are not native to Ontario and can have a negative impact on native wildlife and ecosystems,” Kerekes advised. “They have high reproductive potential which means that populations can increase in number and spread rapidly, making their impacts more severe.”