Who knew that furry pigs existed? 40-year old Michelle Burley-Hodge is a farmer that claims that this extremely rare pig was successfully brought back after almost becoming an extinct breed.
Hodge joined a small group of people that dedicated some of their time and efforts into saving a rare and ‘hardy’ porker breed named the wooly Mangalitsa. These pigs, which originated from Hungary, are known to grow quite huge, and have long curly hair. And they were said to even be able to fight off bears.
When she was a young girl, she would hear her grandmother’s childhood stories all about a now-extinct pig that lived in her village, and this is what inspired her to rescue the curly haired pigs. She also shared how their relief efforts to bring the pigs back has had a very positive impact, with the population of the pigs recovering from just ten to around 50 within the UK.
Hodge happens to be a mother of two from Perranwell in Cornwall, and is also one of the four farmers in the United Kingdom that has made it their mission to save and rescue these rare pigs.
Hodge explained, “They’re not very sought after pigs, because they take longer to rear for meat, but they’re really unique and hardy animals. You do get a lot of meat, and a lot of different meat. Their fat is also really good for omega-3, some other farmers render it down for sale. It’s called the golden lard.”
“You can get different varieties too, blondes, redheads, and swallow-bellied versions all have different looks. I know that recently the farmers I work with near Yorkshire and Sussex have had new litters, so the breed is definitely improving over time,” she added.
She also shared, “We’re also going to import a whole new strain of Mangalitsa pigs from Austria in July, so hopefully that will add some variety and make the breed more viable.”
According to Michelle, after hearing her 85-year old grandmother Sylvia talk about these huge and hairy pigs that used to live in her village during her childhood, she was inspired to rescue the breed. But when she went to buy one for herself, Hodge found out that that particular breed of pig, the Lincolnshire curlycoat, had already gone extinct.
Meanwhile, the global breed of the Mangalitsa pigs were exported across the globe, to areas such as Canada and Japan because of how tough they are. Hodge even shared that there are Facebook groups that are dedicated to the pigs, where owners share their experiences about their pigs, as well as how they happen to be faring from where they live.
She even shared, “One pig in the U.S. was attacked by a bear, which is not something we’re used to here. The pig was fine, and there’s even a video of it fighting off the bear.”
What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!
True Activist / Report a typo
