7. Boar-Pig or The Iron Age Pig
image: Miguel Tremblay, Wikimedia Commons
A blend of the ordinary domestic pig and the Eurasian wild boar, Boar Pigs aren’t as rare as many other hybrid breeds, and are actually considered pests in numerous areas, particularly in Australia, Brazil, and parts of the US. On the other hand, these interesting creatures are sometimes bred intentionally, especially in Europe, where since the 1980’s, there have been numerous back-breeding projects attempting to recreate the look of an Iron Age Pig. By crossing a boar with a domestic pig, breeders can create an animal that closely resembles the pigs depicted in Iron Ageartwork and their meat is considered a specialty within the European market.
Hybridization has been reported in Australia for a long time, and this stems from when European settlers imported populations of wild boar, which then mated with ordinary pigs. Boar Pigs are purportedly much harder to handle than ordinary domestic pigs and they can get quite aggressive.
You might be wondering how the two species ever meet, apart from when they are intentionally bred of course, since obviously they don’t use Tinder. Pigs have been known to escape their pens, and when on their travels, they sometimes meet (and mate) with their wild boar partners. But Boar Pig crosses can also occur when wild boars go rogue, and there have been several reports of male boars jumping over styles and mating with female sows. Some have been so determined to get to the ladies, they have even gone through electric fences – they do say that faint hearts never won fair maiden!
