Dapto 'bait' Pigs Sign Of Cruel Sport
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday August 19, 2006
THE Illawarra's large feral pig population is fuelling a cruel, illegal and dangerous sport, according to the Rural Lands Protection Board.
Not only are there reports of thousands of feral pigs living in bushland on the escarpment, there is an increasing number of the animals being held in captivity in suburban Wollongong.Animal welfare officers went to a Dapto house recently where they found two feral pigs.It was understood the animals were to be used as bait for hunting dogs in "pigging"."It's illegal to keep feral live pigs in captivity and we're finding it's a big problem here and it's on the increase," regional Rural Lands Protection Board managing ranger Andrew Glover said."In this particular case we believe the occupants of the house may have been keeping them as bait for their dogs."We found two live ones (pigs) and also two live feral rabbits and various species of birds which seemed to be legal but the conditions they were living in were less than desirable."Mr Glover said a 25-year-old man was interviewed in relation to the animals and had made certain admissions.The man was ordered to arrange for the pigs to be euthanased.No charges had been laid against the man but Mr Glover said consideration was being given to issuing an infringement notice, or possibly a court attendance notice."We would describe the pigs as a sucker and a slip," Mr Glover said. "A sucker is pretty much a piglet, the size of a football and weighing anywhere up to 5kg. "A slip is usually the next size up and weighs up to 30kg."Mature male feral pigs have been recorded at more than 120kg and can be dangerous to humans and other livestock."Their strong jaw pressure means they can inflict serious bites, and the males have tusks that have been known to cause horrendous injuries," Mr Glover said.Pigging is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, but Mr Glover said keeping feral pigs in captivity also posed a serious threat of disease."Somebody might go into an area from central NSW and bring a feral pig back to Wollongong, and that could potentially carry anthrax," Mr Glover said."Pigs are particularly susceptible to anthrax which does exist in central NSW and then that can be passed on to people and dogs and other animals."People sighting feral pigs or pig hunters in the Illawarra should inform the Rural Lands Protection Board by phoning 4655 9165.
© 2006 Illawarra Mercury