Boris, the extinct "sheep pig"

Is it a sheep? Is it a pig? Boris is in fact a renaissance for the Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig, often called the sheep-pig, and a breed which became extinct here 37 years ago.

In his quest to reintroduce the breed, keeper Tony York discovered British farmers had exported many Curly Coats during the early 20th century to Hungary, where their coat helped them survive harsh winters. There they were cross-bred with the Mangalitza, a similar breed, creating the 'Lincolista'

Mr York found the sub-breed thriving in Austria, and brought 17 of the animals back to his Pigs Paradise farm near Stonehenge, Wiltshire. The British Pig Association has agreed to register his acquisitions as direct descendantsof the Lincolnshire Curly Coat, securing the link with UK farming heritage.

Mr York remembers the day, in 1971, when the last known pair of Lincolnshire Curly Coats were sent for slaughter. "It was a tragedy," he said. "The market was for faster maturing breeds and that was that for the Curly Coats".

Dailymail.com