Cross-breeding a male wild boar with a domestic sow gives an increase in litter size (from an average of 5 in pure animals to 9 in hybrids) and more frequent farrowing (to twice yearly)- known as 'hybrid vigour'. In a farming situation this obviously makes good economic sense. However, there are those amongst us who are not adverse to selling meat from hybrid animals but who call it wild boar meat. Not only is this illegal but it considerably annoys those who do have pure-bred animals and are being under cut on price. Hybrid meat has an inferior flavour to pure wild boar meat and tends to taste more like pork than wild boar. How do you tell if your wild boar stock are pure? Not very easily. There is no biochemical or genetic test available to prove the purity of an animal or bloodline. The French get excited about chromosome numbers and suggest only pure boar have 36 chromosomes (as they do in France, not surprisingly!) because domestic pigs have 38. However, this does not prove purity as wild boar in other countries have 38 chromosomes. In areas where wild boar with 36 and 38 chromosones interbreed, fertile offspring with 37 chromosomes can be produced.
Purity can only be judged on the animals shape and appearance: Below are listed the typical characteristics of a pure wild boar and a hybrid.(sourced from French wild boar farming guidelines: Pinet J. (1990) Cerf, Daim, Sanglier Analyse strategique de la filiere venaison)
Wild boar sow in summer coat highlighting important purity characteristic of a long straight snout. (© Britishwildboar.org.uk 2000).
To the untrained eye these differences are not that easy to spot, especially if the animal contains only a bit of domestic blood. However, to simplify, definite no-no's which indicate hybridisation are:
If you are in doubt about your stock, ask Alan