Grice (domestic pig)

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Reconstruction of a grice

The grice was a primitive breed of domestic pig that was limited in its distribution to the Scottish Shetland Islands . It was a breed close to the wild boar , but physically very small. The animals were known for their aggressiveness and had small tusks, a high, curved back and a hairbrush along the length of the line.

The breed of pig was well adapted to the climatic conditions of the Shetlands. The animals were mostly kept outdoors and usually grazed on the stone-lined pastures of the land tenants. The pigs were known to occasionally attack and eat lambs. The so-called Grice law stipulated that the owner of such a pig had to pay a fine and was responsible for all damage caused by such a pig.

From 1800 onwards, landowners increasingly discouraged their tenants from keeping pigs in this form. As other pig breeds were increasingly imported from mainland Scotland, the number of Grice pigs decreased sharply. It has been extinct since 1930 at the latest.

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