Hogzilla!

[livius drusus]

Alapaha, Georgia is home to the now famous and soon to be even famouser corpse of a 12 foot long, 1000 lb feral hog (http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/10242385.htm) found roaming a farm last summer. National Geographic sent a team to exhume the corpse and is going to do an episode of National Geographic Explorer on Hogzilla the wonder pig.

Last spring, one of Holyoak's employees told him he kept seeing a large hog roaming around their property. In June, Chris Griffin shot the animal and then called his boss.

"I went right over there and couldn't believe it," Holyoak said. "His head was about as big as a car tire."

Because he couldn't fit the large animal in the freezer intact and the meat was not suitable for eating, Holyoak said he and his crew decided to bury the animal instead. They cut his head off and put it in an undisclosed place because they were afraid someone would steal it.

It's like something from an Asterix book, an Aurochs hog or something. I wish I got the National Geographic Channel.

[LadyShea]

Doesn't National Geographic usually make all of their pieces available on video/DVD for purchase? That sounds like a hell of an interesting story.

[livius drusus]

You're right Shea, they usually do. I don't know about this though, because Explorer is a series, so who knows if or when they'll release an individual episode. The show used to be on MSNBC, but they're moving it to the far less widely distributed NGC come next season. There are no DVDs available yet for the past seasons.

[SharonDee]

I really need to do a better job of slowing down when I read something. I read this:
...Chris Griffin shot the animal and then called his boss. and translated it to this:...Chris Griffin shot the animal and then called him boss.
And then I laughed and laughed because it made me think of Boss Hogg.
http://www.peterbrown.tv/dukehogg.JPG

Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!
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.
.
.
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Yeah, I guess you had to be there.

[livius drusus]

:giggle: Naw, it made me laugh too.

[wade-w]

One thing I'm left wondering is this: why did the farm employee feel the need to shoot hogzilla? Was he on a rampage?

[Dingfod]

If a thousand pound hog was to come running out of the woods on the attack, I'd be scared, and I'm a fearless man. [/false bravado]

Since the plantation where this hog was shot hosted hunters that pay big money to hunt hogs, damn near tame hogs that come out of the woods to eat whilst a guy stands there, they probably thought this one was potentially dangerous to their clients or was running off all the other decent sized hogs. Time for the big fella to go.

When I first heard this story, it was said the guy had shot the hog, buried him with a backhoe, then when nobody would believe him, he dug it up for the photos about two weeks later. I'm inclined to believe that was the case because they wouldn't need log chains to hoist up a hog to bury, they'd just shove the carcass into the pit, like I've seen done to dead horses several times. Plus, the hog is caked with sand, like it had been buried. It would be a lot nicer if the animal designated for termination would kindly place themselves in the pit beforehand, it would eliminated the need for construction equipment to move them. Perhaps before their ultimate demise they could parade themselves before us in a restaurant (at the end of the universe) and offer their various tasty parts. :wink:

[ceptimus]

The program is due to air in January. I still think it was something of a hoax, and the hog will not turn out to be as big as the initial reports implied. Unless more information leaks out, we'll have to wait till January to be sure.

[livius drusus]

A hoax or a story that grew with the retelling? It doesn't seem like an intentional fraud to me, more like a "I once caught a fish this big" type of exaggeration.

[Roland98]

The town has been vindicated... (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=7&u=/ap/20050322/ap_on_re_us/hogzilla)

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20050321/capt.ny11203212155.hogzilla_unveiled_ny112.jpg

ALAPAHA, Ga. - A team of National Geographic experts has confirmed south Georgia's monster hog, known to locals as Hogzilla, was indeed real — and really, really big.

They also noted the super swine didn't quite live up to the 1,000-pound, 12-foot hype generated when Hogzilla was caught on a farm last summer and photographed hanging from a backhoe.

***

"He was an impressive beast. He was definitely a freak of nature," said documentary producer Nancy Donnelly. She said Hogzilla's tusks — one measuring nearly 18 inches and the other nearly 16 inches — set a new Safari Club International North American free-range record.

That wasn't good enough for Ken Holyoak, owner of the 1,500-acre fish farm and hunting preserve where Hogzilla was shot by guide Chris Griffin.

"I need to stress that they did not have that much to work with, seeing as how the poor beast had been underground for nearly six months," he said Monday.

Holyoak said Hogzilla weighed in at half a ton on his farm scales, and that he personally measured the hog's length at 12 feet while the freshly killed beast was dangling by straps from a backhoe.

"As with any organic being after death, tissues will decompose and the body will atrophy, making actual measurements change over time," Holyoak said. "Have you ever seen a raisin after it was a grape?"

Anyone in the mood for some bacon? :)

[viscousmemories]

Despite the dispute, this town 180 miles south of Atlanta has already adopted Hogzilla as its own. It went with a Hogzilla theme for its fall festival, with a parade featuring a Hogzilla princess, children in pink pig outfits and a float carrying a Hogzilla replica.

"Our insides were just bubbling," said Darlene Turner, who hosted a party to watch the documentary Sunday night. "At first, I was afraid it might be an embarrassment. But now I wish everybody could see the documentary. It would take the doubt out of people's minds."
What could possibly be embarrassing about that?

[livius drusus]

Whoa. Look at the sack on that hog.

[Goliath]

Whoa. Look at the sack on that hog.

Why thank you! I like to strut around, and...

Oh wait, nevermind. :P :blush:

:tiptoe:

[Dragoon]

Wow, that thing is about 5 times larger than my last one. That one was also a boar and plenty mean. It had to be shot at relatively long range because it was just too dangerous to approach. I can just imagine how dangerous this big one was.

We use a well placed shot from a magnum (.357 or .44) pistol at 2 to 7 yards and that kills them instantly. I think I'd be scared to approach something like that closer than 25 yards and therefore a wouldn't use anything other than a .30 cal. (or larger) rifle.

The 150-300 Lb. ones around here can tear up the countryside like you wouldn't believe (like a plow), so I can only imagine what this one was capable of.

Although it is not my experience that they will attack unprovoked, I would sure hate to meet a guy like that by surprise. They will eat ANYTHING, you know and when they feel threatened, boars tend to go "hog wild."

[Gurdur]

Whoa. Look at the sack on that hog.
Decomposition can do that to anyone (think gas).
Drowning victims can have amazing scrotums.

BTW, hogs can be extremely dangerous, and I am hardly surprised this one got shot. Feral razorbacks in Australia (though smaller by lots than Hogzilla) are very dangerous to humans and wildlife, and account for many attacks on humans.

[Gurdur]

Or maybe you should try elephantisis.
You might be able to find literature on the net that describes the far-from-unusual case of the man, an elephantisis sufferer, who carried his scrotum on a tray suspended from his neck and shoulders --- and had to, if he wanted to be able to walk.

[livius drusus]

Were he and his testicles already decomposing in that picture, Gurd? I thought that was the pre-burial shot.

Either way, I would run like hell if confronted with a wild hog of any dimension. I don't doubt for a second that they could tear into me with barely an effort.

P.S. - On a similarly cowardly note, I think I'll pass on the elephantisis Google images search. Thanks anyway. ;)

[Gurdur]

Maybe then in the natural, living scale, we should make a scrotum/total-body-mass ratio, or even better a simple testicles/total-body-mass ratio, I mean, if this is of interest to you.

AFAIK, hamsters always win hands down, especially if getting more light than is usual in the wild state.

[Roland98]

Were he and his testicles already decomposing in that picture, Gurd? I thought that was the pre-burial shot.

The story I linked that from made it seem that was post-exhumation, but I could be wrong.

[JoeP]

Those of you who do want to search for genuine images should know that it's spelled elephantiasis (http://images.google.com/images?q=elephantiasis&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=off&sa=N&tab=ii&oi=imagest).

A search for elephantisis gets this:
http://euphrates.wpunj.edu/philosophy/mandik/art/elephantisis.jpg

[livius drusus]

Were he and his testicles already decomposing in that picture, Gurd? I thought that was the pre-burial shot.

The story I linked that from made it seem that was post-exhumation, but I could be wrong.

Naw, it's from last year. The pic label says: "Chris Griffin, 31, poses beside the half-ton wild hog he shot near Alapaha, Ga., in a file photo from June 17, 2004." Also, the article mentions the digging crew wearing biohazard suits which the jeans and t-shirt guy in the picture is definitely not wearing.

[Roland98]

Naw, it's from last year. The pic label says: "Chris Griffin, 31, poses beside the half-ton wild hog he shot near Alapaha, Ga., in a file photo from June 17, 2004." Also, the article mentions the digging crew wearing biohazard suits which the jeans and t-shirt guy in the picture is definitely not wearing.

Ah, thanks--I hadn't noticed if you clicked on the pic it adds a caption. :)

And biohazard suits? Fucking ninnies. :wink:

[livius drusus]

I know, huh? Fucking thin-skinned pussies, even. ;)

[Goliath]

Damn right! A little death never killed anyone!

:D