Boar Wars: Controlling the wild boar population
They are feral, elusive, nocturnal. They'll eat anything and live anywhere. The wild boar attacks livestock, destroys Billions in crops and creates hundreds-of-thousands for hunters and TV producers. The beast - and it is a beast at up to 100 kilos is an increasing problem in Manitoba Saskatchewan and Alberta. Today, we're looking at Boar Wars.
University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture, Ryan Brook
It isn't often that the TV program Pigman gets a star of Ted Nugent's stature -- so it must have been over the moon when he stepped in to fulfill God's plan for wild boar. Pigman airs on the Sportsman Channel in the United States, and frequently takes viewers on dangerous boar hunts. But sometimes they just shoot them from helicopters.
Mr. Nugent is at least partially right, boar hunters could move to Canada. There are plenty of feral pigs in this country and farmers would be grateful if they were removed. The boar eat crops, spread disease and kill livestock.
(From L to R, Ranchers Torrie Caswell, Todd Caswell, Bob Brickley near Moose Mountain Provincial Park.)
Bob Brickley is a rancher outside Moose Mountain Provincial Park in southeast Saskatchewan. He's part of a small group of local ranchers and hunters who hunt wild boar with the intent to eradicate them from the area.
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta are trying to deal with a rising feral pig population. Our next guest says we need to get a handle on just how many boars are out there, or we may never be able to eradicate them.
Rancher Todd Caswell with wild boar skull
Ryan Brook is an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture. He's heading the first scientific survey of that province's wild boar population. He was in Saskatoon.
Savannah River National Laboratory, Jack Mayer
So, there's poison. Drones. Traps. Shots.... Humans try many things to control the wild hog population, but the jury's out on what works and what doesn't. Our next guest is one of the foremost experts in wild pigs.
- When One Man's Game Is Also a Marauding Pest - New York Times
Jack Mayer is the author of Wild Pigs in The United States and the manager of the environmental science group at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, South Carolina. We reached him today in Augusta, Georgia.
This segment was produced by The Current's Dawna Dingwall and Vanessa Greco.
Music Bridge
Artist: Thievery Corporation
CD: It Takes a Thief: Best of Thievery Corporation
Cut: # 1, Amerimacka
Label: ESL
Spine: ESL 164
Mail: Amanda Telford
Last week on The Current, we spoke with Amanda Telford. She's the Ottawa mother who decided she and her husband could no longer care for their 19-year-old autistic son at home. They dropped him off at an office of Developmental Services Ontario. Then we heard from Andre Marin, the Ombudsman for the Province of Ontario. His office is in the midst of an investigation into services for adults with developmental disabilities who are in crisis.
The Ontario ombudsman's office is examining more than 700 complaints to date. And judging from our inbox, he's right that many other parents are struggling with this.
This letter is from Judy Jones in London Ontario:
As a parent of a 19 year old girl who is autistic, non verbal, developmentally challenged, has seizures and functions at the level of a 1 to 2 yr old, YES! I Can Relate!
We currently receive financial support which we use to pay our care givers. However, the money is never enough. We run out, and pay our workers out of pocket about half the year. That's 120$ per day.
When we come home from work, we take over her care. We rarely get a break until she is in bed. Our daughter will be in school 1 more year and then we are not sure how we will manage her.
One of us may have to stop working to provide care at home. I worry that we will one day be in the same position as the Telfords. Developmental Services Ontario says it will be years before she has a placement and it may not be what we desire for her. But we will not have a choice.
As well we have a 20 year old son, who has always waited while we care for our daughter. Its just the way it had to be. Our society needs to realize the funding is not in line with what families need to care for our most vulnerable.
And Jocelyne Brault writes from Ottawa:
I am also the parent of a young woman who has multiple disabilities. We were forced to abandon her at the age of 15 due to her escalating destructive behaviours. There was little help, no place for respite to take her due to her behaviours. We were exhausted, and had nowhere to turn.
She is now living in a home staffed by trained professionals, attends a day program, and she is thriving. She is finally getting the life she so well deserves. Canada needs to look at other countries with successful systems, such as Germany. There is no time to reinvent the wheel.
And here's one more from a listener in London, Joyce Balaz:
Bill, the gentleman I support has been on a waiting list for a group home for almost 20 years. Bill is 35 year old with multiple challenges and requires 24-hour, 7-day a week care in my home.
His family gave him up when he was just 1 1/2 years old because they could not access the supports they needed. And once the child leaves school at the age of 21, with agency placements full with long wait lists, there are little supports available and many sit at home without any opportunity to become engaged in their community.
People sitting at home stuck in front of the tv day after day after day is not acceptable for others, why is it acceptable for people with disabilities? This is a human rights issue.
Thank you for telling us about your families' situations. As always - we want to hear from you. Email us. Or Join the discussion at Facebook. Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. And you can call us toll free at 1-877-287-7366. Or write to us via Canada Post - Box 500, Station A, Toronto, M5W 1E6. And if you miss any of the program, download the podcast.
Last Word - Raising Cubby Promo
Coming up tomorrow on The Current, a story of a unique bond between father and son. John Elder Robison details his life as a parent with Asperger's syndrome raising a boy with Asperger's syndrome in the new book: Raising Cubby.
As with many children with Asperger's, Cubby developed powerful interests. Specifically in trains, in tractors and in chemistry. That last interest nearly got Cubby sentenced to sixty years in prison.
Mr. Robison says his son's interest was scientific, but the authorities didn't see it that way when they raided Cubby's lab. It's an emotional tale, and we'll have that full story tomorrow. But you can hear some of of the desperation in John Elder Robison's voice when he remembers how close his son came to prison. He gets today's Last Word.
Other segments from today's show: