Kangaroo Island has been declared completely free of feral pigs, becoming the largest island anywhere in the world to clear out an established population of the pest, according to a joint announcement on June 10, 2026, by Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt and South Australian Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven. Backed by 7.5 million Australian dollars from federal and state governments alongside South Australia’s livestock industry, the Kangaroo Island Feral Pig Eradication Program protects native animals and local farms from a species that previously cost the island over 1 million dollars every year in damage.
Turning Natural Disaster Into an Eradication Opportunity
The campaign to remove the pigs began in 2020 in the wake of the severe 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. While the fires destroyed local buildings, farms, and wild spaces, they simultaneously killed about 90 per cent of the island’s feral pig population, according to project records.
Conservationists and government leaders seized this opening to target the remaining ten per cent. Over a four-year period, field teams tracked down and culled 878 feral pigs across the island, removing the final known breeding females in March 2024. In July 2024, the project moved into a strict two-year test phase across high-risk areas to prove the island was clear. During two years of checking, field teams found zero sightings, tracks, or signs of wild pigs.
This checking window proved critical. Computer models showed that if just two pigs—one male and one female—had survived past March 2024, their numbers would have rebounded to between 30 and 100 pigs by May 2026.
High-Tech Tools Used in the Air and on the Ground
Run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA alongside the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board, National Parks and Wildlife Service, AgKI, Livestock SA, local farmers, and landowners, the project combined modern technology with traditional hunting methods. Teams utilized heat-sensing cameras on military-grade helicopters to shoot from the air, along with trained tracking dogs, ground traps with bait, and ground hunting.
Did you know? Heat-camera operator Tony Blumson, air shooter Brenton Florance, and pilot Rob Matthews from HeliSurveys teamed up to find hidden pigs in thick bushland using thermal imaging from military-grade aircraft.
Scientists also helped field workers by checking water samples in creeks and rivers for environmental pig DNA. Ground teams relied on a network of over 500 trail cameras using artificial intelligence software, which read images to spot hiding animals, including one last hard-to-find male boar.
Biosecurity Milestones and Future Island Goals
Wild pigs rank among the most harmful invasive animals in Australia. They destroy natural habitats, hunt newborn lambs, ruin crops, eat grass meant for farm stock, dig up native plants, spread weeds, and carry diseases that threaten livestock, wildlife, and people.
“Congratulations to those involved in the program, which has meant another big step forward in protecting the incredible biodiversity of Kangaroo Island,” Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said in the joint announcement. Watt noted that Kangaroo Island now stands as a world leader in invasive species eradication after successfully eradicating feral goats, deer, and pigs.
South Australian Minister Clare Scriven emphasized the local economic and environmental payoff. “Eradicating feral pigs from Kangaroo Island is a tremendous achievement and fantastic news for the island, its farmers, the environment and South Australia as a whole,” Scriven stated.
Kangaroo Island Landscape Board Chair Andrew Heinrich pointed out that strong island rules have kept out other major mainland pests, including foxes, rabbits, and ferrets. With the island officially free of wild pigs, deer, and goats, the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board is turning its focus to the Dudley Peninsula Feral Cat Eradication Program, aiming to create the world’s largest lived-in, wild-cat-free area under the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Kangaroo Island officially declared free of feral pigs?
Federal and state ministers announced the successful eradication on June 10, 2026, following a strict two-year testing phase.
How many feral pigs were removed during the program?
Field teams tracked down and culled 878 feral pigs across the island, removing the final known breeding females in March 2024.
What technologies were used to find the remaining pigs?
Teams used heat-sensing cameras on military-grade helicopters, environmental DNA water testing, and a network of over 500 trail cameras powered by artificial intelligence software.
What is the next conservation target for Kangaroo Island?
The Kangaroo Island Landscape Board is now focusing on the Dudley Peninsula Feral Cat Eradication Program to protect vulnerable native wildlife like the Kangaroo Island dunnart and echidna.
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