Hello babes!

1:07pm Wednesday 14th November 2001

Foot-and-mouth restrictions have led to a virtually unknown event at Aldenham Country Park - the cross-breeding of two rare breeds of pigs.

A Gloucester Old Spot sow has given birth to piglets, whose father is a Tamworth boar.

The sow needed to give birth but, because of livestock movement restrictions still in force, the park, in Elstree's Dagger Lane, could not introduce her to a Gloucester Old Spot boar. She was, therefore, mated with a Tamworth boar which was already at the park.

A park spokesman said: "Being a rare breed centre we would not ordinarily cross pigs.

"But, with sows if they do not produce litters on a fairly regular basis they go off-the-boil."

He explained that if sows, which usually have two litters a year, did not have piglets for a couple of years they could find it difficult to conceive again.

It is possible that the movement restrictions may be lifted by the time she is ready to give birth again in a few months.