18 July 2006

Wild Black Pig



This is a nice family outing - but the Mum looks much too junior to have produced such a brood - she definitely needs to do some more munching. There are fewer of these wandering pigs in the streets of Tiruvannamalai, as the city is getting more developed and there are less marshy, secluded spots for these pigs to take refuge in.

The pigs generally spend the days rooting around looking for food through the garbage and rubbish lying on the streets. There is a caste in Tamil Nadu that eat this pig - but other castes won't touch it - as it is very much regarded as unclean by most of the community. The sows are not culled - they are left alone to breed and repopulate the pig colonies - however the boars, sorry (!), head straight for the cooking pot once they've got nice and chubby.

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