This photo of a feral pig was posted to the People’s Independent Republic of New Brighton Facebook page along with a discussion about sightings of the animal in the 10km recreation reserve, which stretches from Burwood to the coast.
But before you squeal – city council head of parks Andrew Rutledge is reassuring the threat to people is low.
However, they should be avoided if spotted, he said.
No reports have been received by city council of the animals attacking, but they are a nuisance.
“Feral pigs are a threat to sites with high biodiversity values, as they can damage indigenous plants and animals. In this case they are mostly a nuisance to the landowners in the area, where they roam between properties,” he said.
The pigs have been present in the Lower Styx area, including Bottle Lake Forest for some time, Mr Rutledge said.
“They are very mobile animals and can cover large distances, moving across private and publicly-owned land.”
Kainga resident Zac Cooper frequently runs around the forest with his dog and said he has spotted the nuisance animals on multiple occasions.
“It was a few months back now . . . one was down by the Waimak River, in the forest alongside the river’s edge. Another was just up by Spencerville . . . my friend’s neighbour has trapped and killed a few, so he put one up on the barbeque one afternoon . . . apparently, the sightings are getting much more frequent,” he said.
Mr Rutledge said the pigs have been factored into the parks’ pest control programme.
“Monitoring is in place for when these animals roam on to council reserves . . . it’s very hard to determine population numbers as the animals cover a large area.”
The feral pigs, which are omnivorous, are believed to be widespread throughout the Canterbury region in suitable habitat types. In May, wild sows, a type of feral pig, were caught on camera in a native bush reserve, near Gibraltar Rock in the Port Hills.
The Summit Road Society said the pigs were becoming a problem with their rooting habits damaging the undergrowth of the native forest.
