Things may be getting a little more dangerous for Americans living along the Canadian border. An invasion is coming, an unknown number of illegal aliens have already entered the United States, and more may be on the way.
These aren't human invaders, but feral hogs. That's nothing new to places like the American South, through to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, but the northern states have mostly been spared - until now?
The phrase "Canadian super pigs" might sound preposterous at first glance, but the moniker is no exaggeration.
Experts have long warned that the creatures — known as "feral hogs" in the United States — would inevitably cross the border and bring their destructive presence further south.
Here's the thing: These aren't really "super pigs." Some carry some genes from Eurasian wild boars, imported to North America many years ago, while mostly being just generic barnyard swine escaped and gone wild. That's not to say that these critters aren't destructive and dangerous; they are both. But these Canadian porkers aren't significantly different than the ones you might find in Florida or Texas.
Here's the thing that makes me a little skeptical about this threatening supply of incoming Canadian bacon: These critters don't do so well in areas with severe winter weather. (Mind you, this year, one could say that about the Carolinas.) Here in the Great Land, we can be relieved to be spared from this nuisance.
University of Saskatchewan professor Dr. Ryan Brook has raised the issue repeatedly in the media, and in February 2025, he told CBS News that their spread to the U.S. was imminent.
"This is what I've been warning for now [about] 15 years … And warning anybody who would listen that this is coming," Brook said.
Canadian super pigs and American feral swine (wild hogs) are not native to North America.
The history of invasive species spreading into new territories is generally bad. We should note that this can happen naturally, as well as by deliberate human introduction; North and South America were once the scene of a huge invasive species event when the North and South American continents were connected; this was the Great American Interchange.
Feral hogs are causing a lot of trouble:
Invasive species are marked by certain traits; they're well-suited to thrive in a new ecosystem, they reproduce rapidly, and lack natural predators to keep their impacts in check. Wild hogs are one of the most destructive invasive species in North America.
In May, the Farm Bureau estimated that feral pigs caused $1.6 billion in damage each year in just 13 states, and the USDA pegged that figure at $2.5 billion nationwide.
The USDA emphasized that wild hogs "will eat almost anything" and are incredibly destructive to ecosystems. Feral swine both eat and destroy crops, aggressively root and damage farm and wetlands, and contaminate resources.
We already have plenty of feral hogs in the southern reaches of the lower 48. It's a real problem.
So, I'll be doing my part. I already have a trip booked to travel to the Hill Country of Texas, where several of my family members will join me in reducing the population of feral hogs in that country. Stay tuned for updates.