The “super pig” population exploded after domesticated hogs interbred with feral wild boars in areas close to the nuclear fallout zone in northeast Japan
A mutant “super pig” population population has spiralled out of control in areas close to the Fukushima nuclear fallout zone.
The nuclear fallout zone in Japan is littered with ghost towns after 164,000 people were forced to flee when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake sparked a tsunami in 2011. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered major damage, leading to radiation leaks with working reactors not being restarted following the events.
Following the disaster, domesticated pigs escaped abandoned farms and interbred with feral boars – creating mutant populations with concerning gene adaptations. Researchers from the Fukushima and Hirosaki universities found the hybrid offspring inherited the domestic pig’s rapid reproductive cycle, unlike those of the boar.
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“While it has been previously suggested that hybridisation between rewilded swine and wild boars can contribute to population growth, this study demonstrates — through the analysis of a large-scale hybridisation event following the Fukushima nuclear accident — that the rapid reproductive cycle of domestic swine is inherited through the maternal lineage,” Fukushima University professor Shingo Kaneko said.
Wild boars reproduce once a year while domestic pigs can reproduce in quicker cycles. The hybrid pigs running around close to the fallout zone carry the pig maternal lineage and exhibited for lower levels of domestic pig DNA than was initially expected.
Hirosaki University geneticist Donovan Anderson said in a statement: “We wish to emphasise that this mechanism likely occurs in other regions worldwide where feral pigs and wild boars interbreed.”
Feral boars are a destructive and invasive species that can ruin crops, attack livestock and damage delicate ecosystems. The boar population exploded in the abandoned areas around Fukushima as they were left untouched by humans in the area.
But the findings are believed to be an important discovery and can be used by conservation and wildlife management teams. Kaneko added: “By understanding that maternal swine lineages accelerate generation turnover, authorities can better predict population explosion risks.”
The Tohoku region was struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan – which was also the fourth most powerful one recorded in the world since 1900. Some 19,759 people died and thousands remain missing to this day.
