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Auckland Island pigs the only virus-free pigs in the world
Auckland Island pig
Sun, 28 Sep 2008 6:07p.m.
The medical world has found some unlikely heroes - Kiwi pigs that DOC tried to cull that are now worth around $350,000 each.
They are the only virus-free pigs in the world and experts now say they could force the ban on pig cell transplants to be lifted.
The feral pigs were rescued from Auckland Island and they may hold the key to a cure for type one diabetes.
The pigs had an insulin-producting cell that when transplanted into diabetes sufferers could produce insulin, meaning no need for injections.
30-year-old diabetic Pete Thompson was involved in the first pig cell transplant trials 15 years ago.
?It was just an absolute freedom from the condition even for a short period of time and it was well worth what was involved,? Mr Thompson said.
But his taste of freedom did not last.
The trials were banned by the Ministry of Health when it was discovered the pig cells could pass on the porcene retro virus to humans.
The virus is carried by every pig in the world, except for the Auckland Island creatures, which were released on the island in the 1800s as a food source for shipwreck survivors.
Ross Fraser, from Living Cell Technology, said the island acted like a quarantine, so they were not subjected to the pressure from pigs and people that all the other pigs in the world have been.
In 1999, Fraser rescued 17 pigs from the island before the rest were exterminated by DOC.
Once the lucky 17 got to Invercargill, mayor Tim Shadbolt stepped in, despite not knowing just how unique the animals were.
?I got into a lot of trouble over those pigs. There were funding meetings letters to the editor, there was an absolute outrage that the mayor was spending ratepayers money on pig tucker!?
The pigs were kept in quarantine for several years where they continued to breed.
?I ended up feeding 180 Auckland Island pigs with ferocious appetites and it went from about 3000 to 13,000 by the end of it!?
In the end, Shadbolt's contingency fund was taken off him, but he says it was worth it.
The pigs are now valued at around $350,000 each and a $2.5 million piggery is about to be built near Invercargill to breed them for cells.
Thompson just hopes the ministry lifts the ban soon so his feral friends can help him and others like him live a normal life.
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/National...rticleID=73500
Auckland Island pig Sun, 28 Sep 2008 6:07p.m.
The medical world has found some unlikely heroes - Kiwi pigs that DOC tried to cull that are now worth around $350,000 each.
They are the only virus-free pigs in the world and experts now say they could force the ban on pig cell transplants to be lifted.
The feral pigs were rescued from Auckland Island and they may hold the key to a cure for type one diabetes.
The pigs had an insulin-producting cell that when transplanted into diabetes sufferers could produce insulin, meaning no need for injections.
30-year-old diabetic Pete Thompson was involved in the first pig cell transplant trials 15 years ago.
?It was just an absolute freedom from the condition even for a short period of time and it was well worth what was involved,? Mr Thompson said.
But his taste of freedom did not last.
The trials were banned by the Ministry of Health when it was discovered the pig cells could pass on the porcene retro virus to humans.
The virus is carried by every pig in the world, except for the Auckland Island creatures, which were released on the island in the 1800s as a food source for shipwreck survivors.
Ross Fraser, from Living Cell Technology, said the island acted like a quarantine, so they were not subjected to the pressure from pigs and people that all the other pigs in the world have been.
In 1999, Fraser rescued 17 pigs from the island before the rest were exterminated by DOC.
Once the lucky 17 got to Invercargill, mayor Tim Shadbolt stepped in, despite not knowing just how unique the animals were.
?I got into a lot of trouble over those pigs. There were funding meetings letters to the editor, there was an absolute outrage that the mayor was spending ratepayers money on pig tucker!?
The pigs were kept in quarantine for several years where they continued to breed.
?I ended up feeding 180 Auckland Island pigs with ferocious appetites and it went from about 3000 to 13,000 by the end of it!?
In the end, Shadbolt's contingency fund was taken off him, but he says it was worth it.
The pigs are now valued at around $350,000 each and a $2.5 million piggery is about to be built near Invercargill to breed them for cells.
Thompson just hopes the ministry lifts the ban soon so his feral friends can help him and others like him live a normal life.
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/National...rticleID=73500
