Heligan Successfully Crossbreeds Sheep with Pig!
- 1st Apr 2016
*Please note that this is an April Fools story and unfortunately you will not see any shigs on your visit to The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
The Lost Gardens astonishes the natural world by successfully crossbreeding one of our Devon and Cornwall Longwool sheep with a Tamworth pig!
This new heritage hybrid has been aptly named a ‘Shig’ and has some remarkable qualities, such as a very docile, friendly and approachable manner, making them perfect for life at The Lost Gardens. They are also rugged and extremely durable much like their parents, which makes them well suited to the temperamental and often unforgiving Cornish weather.
“We never thought this would be possible, but it just goes to show nature will always find a way; call it a happy accident if you will! Our sow gave birth to 6 ‘piglets’ a few weeks ago and it wasn’t until a few days later that we started to notice that things weren’t quite as they seemed. The ‘piglets’ were making strange noises which we can only describe as a ‘baaaoink’ and their coats were becoming incredibly fluffy and curly; which came as a bit of a surprise as you can imagine! Looking back the only conclusion we could come up with is that Ben our amorous ram fell in love with a red head!
So far they are proving to be a really wonderful breed and a great addition to the Heligan Estate. We are also intrigued to see whether their meat will taste like, lamb or pork and if their coats can be shorn.” Andy Finch, Stockman
This is a defining moment in history indeed and leaves us all with the burning question… what next?
