Wild boar cull declared in Alberta

EDMONTON, Alberta, July 11 (UPI) -- The western Canadian province of Alberta has ordered all free-roaming wild boars be shot on sight because they are multiplying rapidly and becoming a menace.

The non-native animals have decimated crops and burrowed dangerous large holes in the ground from central Alberta to near the U.S. border, CTV News reported.

The boars were brought to the province in the 1990s to be farmed for meat and for sport hunting, but some escaped and have been "breeding like rabbits," environmental officials told the broadcaster.

It's estimated as many as 1,000 wild boars are running loose, and they have adapted to the Canadian winter climate, hunting outfitter Chad Lenz told CTV.

"They're survivalists, there's no doubt. They're a pretty good animal -- they can survive in just about any condition," Lenz said.

Boars have been known to charge at people, and there is also concern they could spread disease among captive livestock, officials said.

Under a new law, landowners must now report and eradicate non-captive boars, otherwise provincial officials can kill the boars and send a bill to the landowner, the report said.