Wild boar, pig or hybrid: why is this animal from the Var causing so much buzz? : Current Woman Le MAG

Tuesday November 7, 2023, Daniel was enjoying a hike in the Var when he made a funny discovery. Accustomed to walks in the area around Six-Fours-les-Plages, he had placed thermal cameras to try to capture images of wild animals. But a few days later, when he retraced his steps to retrieve the photos, a big surprise awaited him. So much so that he rushed to tell his story to the local newspaper. “I’ve never seen anything like it”assured Daniel to our colleagues at Var-MatinFriday November 10, 2023. In the photo taken by his camera, we see an animal that resembles a wild boar…but not really. “A completely white body, like a sheep, and a black head. I’ve taken quite a few photos of wild boars here, but never of this size. Its head is much more flattened than usual and it must measure around 30 centimeters in diameter.explains the hiker, who estimates the weight of the animal at around 80 kg.

The animal, named Pogui, is the mascot of an entire neighborhood in Six-Fours-les-Plages

To try to unravel this mystery, Var-Matin contacted the hunting company Le Lièvre. Its president Hervé Fabre, who is also the deputy mayor of Six-Fours-les-Plages, offered an explanation: “The beast in question is a cross between a wild boar and a Chinese pig. Without a doubt.” He explains that some local residents have Chinese pigs as domestic animals, which sometimes escape and reproduce with wild boars, giving birth to a hybrid called piggier or sanglochon. Mystery solved? Not really. The photo of the “mutant” wild boar has made the rounds on social networks, arousing the curiosity of Internet users. And some local residents have recognized it: it is Pogui, their neighborhood mascot.

But as explained Nice morning, Tuesday November 14, 2023, this is not a hybrid. A woman claims to have taken him in when he was a baby, and injured. “According to my research, it must be an American dwarf pig”, she says. Moreover, on social networks, a man presents himself as the initial owner of the animal, before it escaped. Proof, “he even broadcast a video in which we clearly recognize the pig, still a baby and no bigger than a chihuahua, with a harness, playing”, specify our colleagues. The man even contacted the hunters’ society so that they could spare his pig, which has therefore taken up residence in the neighborhood for four years now. “Since then, he has visited us in turn, very regularly”, explains the resident who had looked after him when he was a baby. A wonderful bond has been formed since then. Pogui likes to come begging for scratches and caresses with neighbors : “Everyone accepted it. And everyone loves it, starting with the children.”