January 17, 2020
sprep-pa
The Department of Conservation's efforts to cull Auckland Island pigs are being labelled a crime against humanity by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society. The pesky porcines are killing native plants, insects and seabirds - but they're also the only completely virus-free pig species, which scientists think could hold revolutionary remedies to diabetes, Parkinson's disease and organ donor shortages. Some of the pigs have been salvaged from the culling and transported to a research facility in Southland while a few others live with groups like the Rare Breeds Conservation Society.
