A recent warning has begun making headlines as pigs with literal ‘neon blue’ flesh were found in the United States. Now, the reason behind this shocking situation has been discovered.
Keep reading to know more.
Dan Burton owns a wildlife control company and in his time he has trapped wild pigs for clients. But earlier this year, the wild animal expert was left scratching his head when he caught a pig and discovered it had blue flesh.
“I’m not talking about a little blue, I’m talking about neon blue, blueberry blue,” Burton recently said in an interview.
He proceeded to inform officials in Monterey County, California, about the strange incident and also alerted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. According to some reports, people in Morgan Hill reported these blue-fleshed bigs earlier as well. Image sharing site Imgur has a picture of wild dead pig with similar flesh as early as 2015.
“So, my in-laws live on a ranch in Morgan Hill, CA and they shot a wild pig on it. They thought it a normal pig until they cut it open,” they person wrote in a comment with the image.
As to what is making the flesh of these pigs appear blue, it seems that the pigs have been exposed to pesticide bait containing the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Wildlife Health Lab (WHL) and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory in Davis.
Rodenticide is a common chemical farmers use to control the population of rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels.
Blue tissue in a wild pig can be a sign of rodenticide bait ingestion. The chemical is dyed blue so it stands out to humans.
It is strongly advised not to eat a pig with blue flesh as you can experience ‘secondary exposure’ to the poison as a result. The substance has the ability to remain in their organs and tissues for a long time, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
Cooking the meat does not make a difference to the concentration of the position either and is a concern for health. Cooking it will not make it safer to eat.
CDFW Pesticide Investigations Coordinator Dr. Ryan Bourbour said, “Hunters should be aware that the meat of game animals, such as wild pig, deer, bear and geese, might be contaminated if that game animal has been exposed to rodenticides.”
“Rodenticide exposure can be a concern for non-target wildlife in areas where applications occur in close proximity to wildlife habitat.”
If anyone comes across animals with blue flesh, they are encouraged to report it to CDFW’s Wildlife Health Lab at [email protected] or (916) 358-2790.
