Looming among our neighbors to the north is an invasive species Montana experts say would cause extensive environmental degradation to the Big Sky state, should they ever successfully saunter across the border.
And they’re edging closer every year.
Large populations of feral hogs throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta have been slowly encroaching on the Montana-Canada border, placing wildlife experts, farmers and other stakeholders on edge.
Multiple reports have emerged of groups of feral hogs being spotted “very close” to the border. One of the most recent sightings occurred earlier this summer when eight mature pigs were discovered in Canada directly above Lincoln County. That’s according to John Steuber, the state director and a supervisory wildlife biologist for Wildlife Services, a program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.