Hogzilla

Hogzilla is a wild hog shot in Alapaha, Georgia on 17 June 2004 by Chris Griffin on Ken Holyoak's farm and hunting reserve. It was alleged to be 12 feet (3.6 meters) long and to weigh 1,000 pounds (450 kg).

Its remains were exhumed in early 2005 and studied by scientists from the National Geographic for a documentary. In March 2005, these scientists confirmed that Hogzilla actually weighed 800 pounds (360 kg) and was between 7.5 and 8 feet (2.25 and 2.4 meters) long, diminishing the validity of the previous claim. Hogzilla was part domestic and part wild boar.

According to the examiners, Hogzilla's tusks measured nearly 46 cm (18 inches), and nearly 41 cm (16 inches), which was a new record for North America.

Are large boars unusual?

Wild boars sometimes do grow gigantic as they age. Literally bear-sized specimens have been filmed and hunted in some places in Eastern Europe, especially Transylvania and Hungary. Two medieval Hungarian aristocrats, Prince St. Imre and Count Nicholaus Zrínyi Jr., are recorded to have been killed by giant boars, although many historians believe that assassination was a more likely explanation for their deaths.

Hogzilla was half domestic and half wild, probably born from a wild boar father and domestic pig mother. National Geographic theorized that he had been stealing protein-rich fishfood from a nearby fish farm, which may explain his immense size.

Dispute with National Geographic

Ken Holyoak, the man upon whose farm the boar was shot and killed, has disputed the findings made by the National Geographic documentary. Holyoak said that Hogzilla weighed 1,000 pounds (400kg) when he weighed it on his farm scales, and that he personally measured the hog's length at 12 feet (4 meters) while it dangled by the 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?”

Nancy Donnelly, the producer of the National Geographic documentary, stated that the scientists who made the measurements had already accounted for "shrinkage" when they stated their estimates.

Effects of Hogzilla upon Alapaha

Since the discovery of Hogzilla, the small town of Alapaha, Georgia, which lies about 180 miles south of Atlanta, has seen an insurgence of pop culture interest in their town that might be compared to the hype created by other purported anomalies of nature such as Bigfoot.

Alapaha, however, has accepted the legend of this odd hog into its community. It went whole hog (so to speak) with a Hogzilla theme for its fall festival, including a parade featuring a Hogzilla princess, children in pink pig outfits and a float carrying a Hogzilla replica.