Minnesota is not experiencing feral hog takeover, state says

But loose swine do run wild in state. Moreover, wild pigs live north of Minnesota's Canadian border, fueling concern about possible incursion down the road.

Reports of a devastating wild hog invasion were premature, suggests a new state report.

"Minnesota does not have an established feral pig population," the state's Department of Natural Resources said in a 34-page document delivered to legislators Thursday.

The DNR report — prepared in collaboration with state agencies for health, agriculture and animal health — did, however, note that current law is "unclear" on when an escaped domestic pig should be called "feral."

For months, anecdotes have swirled about feral pigs in Minnesota, and the DNR's newly released report did not fully quash those rumors. During a brief discussion on Thursday in the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, Rep. John Burkel, R-Badger, a farmer from northwestern Minnesota, insisted he received two calls about feral hog sightings in Kittson County, which borders Canada.