Cameras, tracking collars, facial-recognition technology help identify feral pigs, wild dogs

Technologies — such as satellite-based tracking collars, real-time cameras, and facial-recognition software — are being used in the battle against wild dog and feral pig populations in Western Australia. Key points: Agricultural groups are using a number of technologies to monitor feral animals Cameras generating real-time photos are using facial-recognition technology to automatically identify feral pigs, wild dogs and foxes Some feral pigs have been fitted with tracking collars to learn more about their movements With an estimated national population of 23 million, feral pigs inhabit 45 per cent of the Australian mainland and cost the agricultural industry upwards of $100 million a year through damage to crops, fences and water points, killing baby lambs and competing for feed. Midlands Biosecurity Group executive officer Chris O'Callaghan said the camera network would provide farmers with another set of eyes in their paddocks and could help prevent feral populations from spreading. "Feral pigs breed so prolifically, if we let one sow or a small group of pigs into an area where they haven't been before, they can breed and their numbers can explode very quickly."