He's 'a gentleman of the pig world'

Jack Thom (14), of Balclutha, rides Toby, the 3-year-old boar, at Pine Hill before the pig's big...
Jack Thom (14), of Balclutha, rides Toby, the 3-year-old boar, at Pine Hill before the pig's big move to Tarras on Saturday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Despite weighing as much as a small car, Toby is no greedy pig.

The 3-year-old large white boar tips the scales at about 600kg and from snout to curly tail is about 2m long.

Immediate past owner Roger Legg, of Pine Hill, said Toby was "a gentleman of the pig world".

"There's not a bad bone in his body.

"He's easy to please, a hit with the ladies, and eats just the same as any other pig," he said.

Mr Legg ended his 33-year term as a pig farmer on Saturday when he handed Toby over to a Tarras breeder.

He bought Toby from Oamaru when the boar was 18 months old and put him to work on his Dunedin property fathering piglets.

Toby had sired too many piglets to count, including a litter of 16 which was born two weeks ago, Mr Legg said.

"Ever since I got him, he hasn't put a foot wrong. He's very active," he said.

Pigs of the large white variety tended to be big, but Mr Legg said Toby was the largest boar he had ever seen, even during his 18 years as an abattoir worker.

"He's just an exceptionally big guy and I reckon he'll grow a bit yet. They [boars] live for years," he said.

Mr Legg gave Toby about 20 litres of mixed feed every day, as well as "greens" such as cabbages.

He had not overfed the boar, or intentionally enhanced the animal's natural growth.

When Toby was standing, his back was the same height as Mr Legg's chest. The farmer's height was about 1.75m.

"He's the size of a young cattle beast, and heavier than one.

"I was sorry to see him go but would rather he went to a farm than be killed, because he's still got a lot of work in him," Mr Legg said.

- rosie.manins@odt.co.nz

 

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