The Auckland Island Pig is a feral

Feral

A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...

 breed of domestic pig

Domestic pig

The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...

 (Sus scrofa) found on subantarctic

Subantarctic

The Subantarctic is a region in the southern hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° – 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands in the southern parts of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and...

 Auckland Island

Auckland Island

Auckland Island is the main island of the Auckland Islands, an uninhabited archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to New Zealand. It is inscribed in the together with the other subantarctic New Zealand islands in the region as follows: 877-004 Auckland Isls, New Zealand S50.29 E165.52...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Various introductions of pigs were made to the uninhabited island as a source of food for stranded sailors

Castaway depot

A castaway depot is a store or hut placed on an isolated island to provide emergency supplies and relief for castaways and victims of shipwrecks...

 or visiting whalers, the first in 1807 with further liberations in 1840, 1842 and the 1890s. By the end of the 19th century the island held a thriving population of pigs of mixed origin which was largely undisturbed until the late 20th century, producing a distinctive breed.

A decision was made by New Zealand's Department of Conservation that species introduced to the Auckland Islands should be eradicated in the course of a program to restore the natural ecosystems. Consequently the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand

Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand

The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand was founded in 1988 to conserve, record and promote rare livestock breeds with the aim of maintaining genetic diversity within livestock species...

 (RBCSNZ) decided to attempt to preserve the breed in captivity. In 1999 a RBCSNZ expedition caught and removed seventeen pigs, including several pregnant sows, from Auckland Island, transferring them to Invercargill, New Zealand. These animals have since bred successfully and the breed is not at risk.

These relatively pathogen free pigs have been used to derive a biocertified herd as a source of cells for xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation , is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants...

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Description

Over the near two-century period between their original introduction to the island and the removal of breeding stock by the RBCSNZ, Auckland Island Pigs reverted to a wild type characterised by coats of thick, dark hair and straight tails. They have long, narrow heads and snouts. Most are black, with some black and tan, and occasionally with white patches. They are relatively small and very athletic.