Kiwi pigs so hot right now in UK

KIRK HARGREAVES/The Press

NO PORKIE: Kune kune pigs from New Zealand are being crossed with other english varieties of pig in the UK for fashion pets. Holly, aged 12, and her brother Thomas, 9, feeding 3-year-old pig Polly and her two and a half week litter in Loburn, North Canterbury.

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Forget poodles and chihuahuas – pigs crossbred with New Zealand's kune kune are the celebrity pet du jour in Britain.

English breeder Chris Murray said he had the perfect pet pig thanks to a bit of kune kune "Kiwi blood" crossbred with local miniature pigs.

Celebrities are snapping up the tiny porkers, including television personality Jonathan Ross, who bought two as pets for $800.

The Pennywell miniature pigs are bred at Murray's wildlife centre in Buckfastleigh, Devon.

Murray said the pigs were bred from a range of old English strains and had been crossed with New Zealand's kune kune for its "sweet temperament".

"Other pigs can be quite snappy mothers but with the kune kune influence they are so laid back," he said. People came to see the pigs from all over Britain, and people had made offers to buy them from as far away as Australia, the United States and even New Zealand, Murray said.

"When you have got everything in life what could be better than a miniature pig. Forget chihuahuas and poodles, it's quite cachet to have a miniature pig as a pet these days," he said.

"People love pigs. We have had people from all over Britain to play with these pigs."

Murray's pigs grew no bigger than the size of a cocker spaniel – about a fifth of the size of ordinary pigs.

Despite the popularity of his pigs, Murray limits sales to between 30 and 50 a year, and sells them as pairs. "They like company so they can snuggle down and play together."

Loburn mother-of-two and pig breeder Janine Parbery had not heard of the Pennywell miniature pigs but was not surprised they had been bred with the lovable kune kune. Parbery bought two kune kune pigs two years ago for her children and the family was enjoying their second litter.

"Kune kunes have a fantastic nature – boys and girls. You can do anything with them. Thomas gets on (Flash's) back and rides him like his pony," she said.

- © Fairfax NZ News