An odd species of pig in Britain. ©Xinhua

BEIJING, April 19 — Three rare Mangalitza “sheep-pigs,” which have snouts and trotters as well as woolly coats, have been delivered to a UK zoo, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

The Mangalitza sheep-pigs, originating from Austria and Hungary, were brought to Tropical Wings Zoo in Essex, UK to form part of a program to help save the animals from extinction, according to the newspaper.

“At first sight, people think they are sheep,” Denise Cox, education coordinator at Tropical Wings, was quoted as saying, “it is not until they turn around and you see their faces and snouts you realize they are in fact pigs.”

The Mangalitza sheep-pig is similar to a Lincolnshire curly coat breed, which died out in Britain 40 years ago, the newspaper reported.

In the early 1900s, many Lincolnshire curly coats were sold to Austria and Hungary where they were crossed with the Mangalitza.

Three years ago this cross-breed were found thriving in Austria, and a small number were brought back to create a herd in Britain. These three sheep-pigs are offspring of this herd.

Now the three sheep-pigs in the zoo, named Buddy, Porsche and Margot, have attracted lots of interest from visitors. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2010-04/19/c_13257989.htm