Wild pigs much more than bacon!

Looking at the health of wild white-lipped peccaries in Brazil's Pantanal - the largest inland swamp in the world - the study aimed to gauge the impact of Leptospirosis - a bacteria that affects both animal and human populations - on wildlife and livestock.

Appearing in a recent issue of Tropical Animal Health and Production, scientists reported that the transmission of Leptospirosis and other diseases from wild to domestic animals can threaten the integrity of food safety and human health. Similarly, diseases can move from domestic animals to wildlife such as peccaries and can cause negative impacts on the health of that species and the very ecosystem which the peccaries themselves help to shape.

This project is one of several projects funded by Cargill, international food producer, a company which believes that the health of wildlife and livestock are interconnected.

"Food safety and security are top priorities at Cargill," claims Mike Robach, Cargill vice president of corporate food safety and regulatory affairs.

The wild pig health project also includes a public awareness campaign combining conservation education with sponsorship of a local women's soccer team. The logic for the latter is that highly popular football events provide an opportunity to teach local residents, school children, and neighbouring communities about the important role peccaries have in creating their swampy rainforest environment.

Conservation biologist, Alexine Keuroghlian, said that: "Team members teach local residents about the important role that peccaries play in maintaining regional biodiversity, for example as seed dispersers, forest engineers, and as prey of jaguar and mountain lions. We strongly discourage hunting of the animals and show how losses of local peccary populations degrade forest environments and cause declines of other forest species."

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