Mukota Pig

The Mukota, also called the Rhodesian Indigenous or Zimbabwean Indigenous pig, is a breed native to Zimbabwe, believed to have arrived through trade with Europe and China in the seventeenth century; it takes its name from the Mukota region of Zimbabwe, where it was first formally described in 1973. It is solid black with no markings, and the breed shows two distinct types, one compact with a shortened snout resembling the Chinese Meishan pig, the other longer-snouted and built more like a feral razorback. Mukota pigs are well adapted to their environment, needing little water, resisting disease and tolerating parasites better than imported breeds, though they yield about thirty percent less carcass than a Large White. The population is estimated at around 70,000 animals, found mainly in Zimbabwe but also in Mozambique and Zambia, and its meat is valued for its distinctive flavor.