The first generation of reintroduced Lanyu pigs was born on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) in June, 42 years after 20 of the pigs were brought to Taitung for conservation, the Livestock Research Institute said on Tuesday.
Long-term breeding with non-native species has erased many of the indigenous pigs’ characteristic features, leading to their rapid disappearance from the island.
Often called little-eared or miniature pigs due to their diminutive black ears and small stature, Lanyu pigs only weigh 45kg to 70kg, compared with 150kg to 180kg for a standard domesticated pig.
Photo courtesy of the Council of Agriculture
The institute’s Taitung Animal Propagation Station in 1979 started a breeding program to preserve the species and develop new breeds for commercial and research purposes, station Director Chang Chia-chieh (章嘉潔) said, adding that it breeds 500 of the pigs every year.
In addition to special breeds with camouflaged, spotted or white coats, the station also breeds purebred Lanyu pigs, he said.
Semen, egg and cell samples are preserved every year and saved off-site to protect against epidemic diseases, Chang added.
The institute in 2013 launched a project to return the pigs to their native home, but fears of foot-and-mouth disease and other considerations delayed the plan until this year.
In January, it sent 10 male and 18 female pigs to an enclosure on the island to protect against interbreeding, while allowing for natural propagation, Iraralai Village Warden Shih La-heng (施拉橫) said.
One of the pigs became pregnant in April and on June 8 gave birth to three piglets, showing that they have already adapted to their new surroundings, he said.
Formosan wild boars and Lanyu pigs are Taiwan’s only two indigenous pig species, with international research confirming the latter’s distinct and ancient lineage remote from Asian and European breeds, the institute said.
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