Kunekune

For the Japanese urban legend, see Kunekune (urban legend).

The Kunekune (Māori pronunciation: [kʉnɛkʉnɛ])^[1] is a small breed of domestic pig from New Zealand. Kunekune are hairy with a rotund build, and may bear wattles hanging from their lower jaws. Their colour ranges from black and white, to ginger, cream, gold-tip, black, brown, and tricoloured. They have a docile, friendly nature.^[2]

Kunekune

Male (left), female (right), Kunekune pigs
Conservation status	Rare
Country of origin	New Zealand
Traits
Pig Sus domesticus

History

The breed is believed to have descended from an Asian domestic breed introduced to New Zealand in the early 19th century by whalers or traders. They differ markedly from the feral pig of European origin known in New Zealand as a "Captain Cooker".^[3] The native Māori people of New Zealand adopted Kunekune; kunekune is a Māori word meaning 'fat and round'.^[4]

2 KuneKune pigs sleeping

By the 1980s, only an estimated 50 purebred Kunekune remained. Michael Willis and John Simister, wildlife park owners, started a breeding recovery programme, which encouraged other recovery efforts. As of 2010^[update], the breed no longer faces extinction, with breed societies in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In 1993, two were imported into the United States from the UK.^[5]

Behaviour

In 2017, a report of Science Daily said the Kunekune has remarkable social learning with "astonishingly good memory".^[6]

The Kunekune can sustain itself by feeding in summer on nothing other than grass.^[7]

Appearance

The Kunekune is covered in hair which can be long or short, and straight or curly. Hair colours include black, brown, ginger, gold, cream, and spotted combinations. It has a medium to short, slightly upturned snout, often black, and either semilopped or pricked ears. It has a short, round body with short legs and may have two wattles (called piri piri) under its chin. The Kunekune stands about 60 cm (24 in) tall. An adult Kunekune can weigh between 60 and 200 kg (130 and 440 lb), males being considerably heavier than females.^[8]

Ginger Kunekune pig with short hair

As pets

Further information: Miniature pig § As pets

Kunekune can be kept as pets in New Zealand and are a recognised breed of miniature pig.

Kunekune cannot be imported into Australia, as Australia does not allow the import of live pigs for biosecurity reasons.^[9] However, breeders have created an alternative Australian breed: the Australian miniature pig.^[10]