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ABC News
ABC News
National

Feral pigs ruin the Adelaide River racetrack ahead of annual horse race

The Adelaide River Show Society says not having revenue from the races will be devastating. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

Feral pigs have caused catastrophic damage to the Adelaide River racecourse, forcing the town's annual horse racing event to be moved to Darwin.

The wild pigs tore up the track's surface, causing damage Thoroughbred Racing NT has labelled catastrophic.

The race day has been rescheduled to run on June 4 at Fannie Bay Racecourse.

It means the small town about 110 kilometres south of Darwin will again miss out on an influx of thousands of visitors after a COVID cancellation 2020.

Adelaide River Show Society president Jackie Rixon said the feral pigs had been regular night-time visitors to the track recently, with their latest forages causing damage too great to rectify. 

The track's turf now requires extensive rectification. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

"We're very upset about it, we just know we can't pull it together in time," she said.

"And the fact that we can't keep them out — if we do fix it they might come back."

The races were scheduled in early June during the NT's popular tourist season. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

The society's vice-president, Sandy McLean, said she was nearly brought to tears when she saw the damage and was unsure how the society would survive without the income from the event.

Adelaide River is south of Darwin near the Litchfield National Park. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

She said the society would be meeting with Thoroughbred Racing NT on Monday to find a solution.

"I was hoping they [Thoroughbred Racing NT] would come back with a date that maybe that we could have a race meeting later on," she said.

Feral pigs are known to dig up native habitats and are a threat to Australia's $65 billion agricultural industry, destroying crops, spreading disease and preying on livestock. 

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