16573: Brown: Better Pigs? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Hunt Brown <hunt.brown@wright.edu>

A excerpt from a recent Nature Science Update suggests a type of pig
from coastal Georgia that might be suitable for conditions in Haiti:

"Spanish galleons visiting America left the pigs on Ossabaw Island about
500 years ago. Since then they have evolved to drink seawater, and
adapted to a boom-and-bust food supply, gorging on acorns in autumn to
survive the winter. Their fat stores last until the new spring's
vegetation appears. But their crash diets and active lifestyles keep
them in trim."

The story also reports that the state of Georgia has begun eradicating
them as pests, so perhaps quick action would be appropriate if the pigs
are deemed worthy for export to Haiti.

The full story, focusing on how these pigs develop diabetes if put on a
steady high fat diet, can be found at:
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030804/030804-5.html

Hunt

-- 
Huntting W. Brown, Associate Director
Institute for Environmental Quality
Wright State University
3640 Col. Glenn Hwy.
Dayton, OH 45435
Phone:	937/775-2201
Fax:	937/775-4997