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Sunday 6 December 2020

Kunekune Pigs

 

Kunekune (pronounced coo-nee coo-nee) are a rare New Zealand pig, becoming almost extinct in the 1970s before work was commenced to save the breed.  They were developed by Maori from pigs that were thought to have been introduced by whalers in the early 1800s, possibly originating from Asia, South America, and/or Polynesia.

The Maori named these short-legged short-snouted small pigs “kunekune”, meaning “fat and round” as that is their predominant feature – their love of food causes them to become quite rotund and they carry a very deep layer of fat (useful to Maori as it was used to preserve food).




Coat colour and texture can vary considerably.  Colours can range from black, brown, golden or cream, sometimes with random patches of another colour.  Hair texture can range from short and silky to long coarse curls, and extensive hair loss is common during the summer months.

Kunekune are typically a very sociable placid pig and, although they are still occasionally used for meat, their prime use today is as a pet.  They are intelligent and affectionate, and I have even met one who was house trained!




These two pigs pictured here belonged to my nephew, and were being kept as pets on their small holding.  I found them placid and friendly, and very amenable to a good back scratch 😊

Margaret.


LINKING UP WITH EILEEN AT Saturday's Critters


20 comments:

  1. Hello,
    Your nephew has cute pigs. Kunekune, that is a neat name for the breed. They are fat and round and adorable. Great critters and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great day! Wishing you a happy new week! PS, thanks for leaving me a comment.

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  2. Very sweet pets and thank you for this text,interesting and good text about animals,greetings from anna

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  3. They look like a cross between a pig and a dog.

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  4. Yes, intelligent pals. I met some ("boring" European ones) and they were nice - as in friendly (I also...).
    But aren´t they all? Cows can be cute, sheep as well. And so on!

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  5. Such long hair compared to pigs we see here. Beautiful creatures. Thanks for introducing them, Margaret.

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  6. I can think of a few people I know who would fit the description in your last sentence.

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  7. Adorable!

    Glad they are mostly pets, these days.

    🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

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  8. 😹 Humans keep some weird pets don't they Mittens? Mind you i suppose us kkeping these human pets is a bit weird too. The cats that live on the beach across the road don't keep human pets, they just use the humans to deliver and serve their takeaway orders. xxx Mr T

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    1. Hi Tigger. I like my human pets, they give me cuddles as well as food and somewhere to sleep out of the rain. Purrs, Mittens 😻

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  9. They sure look different...

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  10. I have a granddaughter who would just love to have one for a pet!!

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  11. Brings back memories of seeing these on a farm (paid for the privilege) in the Bay early 2000s . Our grandkids loved them, and all the animals there

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  12. They are rather cute! They almost look like a dog.

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  13. They are really cute, I'd have them as pets! :)

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  14. They are such cute friendly pigs, a couple I use to go to church with use to breed them.

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  15. I used to live where a man took his kunekune pig for a walk everyday, on a leash. It was fully grown - so it was big. They are so lovely. My son has one who really is "one of the family", and is the apple of their eye. Goes for walks with him on the farm. So cute.

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  16. Interesting history on the New Zealand pig. Haven't been around pigs, but I hear some make very good pets.

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  17. Many thanks for sharing these photographs and the history about these pigs.

    All the best Jan

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Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx