12:35pm UK, Saturday April 17, 2010Kirsty Donald, Sky News Online
The arrival of three curly coated creatures has caused confusion among visitors to a zoo.
The woolly animals may look like sheep but believe it or not they are actually a rare breed of pig.
Buddy, a male, and two females, Porsche and Margot, were brought to Tropical Wings Zoo in Essex as part of an education and breeding programme.
The pigs in blankets - officially known as Mangalitzas - originate from Austria and Hungary.
They have a small genetic link to the native Lincolnshire curly coat, which died out in Britain in 1972, an expert at the zoo said.
"Buddy has blond hair which is almost white, so people really do believe he is a sheep," said Denise Cox, education co-ordinator at the zoo."Everybody who walks past them stops because they want to know if they are pigs or sheep.
"We've got them here as part of a breeding programme to make sure this fascinating breed does not become extinct."
And the project could be working already, with hopes that the zoo could be experiencing the pitter-patter of tiny trotters before too long.
Ms Cox said Porsche is showing the early signs of being pregnant although it is still too early to confirm whether she is expecting.
Another sheep-pig hogged the limelight last month when actress Emma Thompson took a curly-haired companion to the premiere of the latest Nanny McPhee film.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Sheep-Pigs-Mangalitzas-Cause-Confusion-At-Tropical-Wings-Zoo-In-Essex/Article/201004315607324
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