Meat-eaters issued warning as pigs begin to turn fluorescent blue inside
Scientists were surprised to discover that some wild pigs have turned up with bright blue flesh.
Now, I'm no expert, but it's fairly obvious that pigs should not be turning the colour of a blue raspberry slush.
First, there were zombie squirrels and rabbits; now there's colourful pigs.
Pigs aren't meant to be the same shade as a Smurf, but that's what game hunters have found in California.
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Dan Burton, who owns a wildlife control company, exclaimed to the Los Angeles Times: ''I'm not talking about a little blue. I'm talking about neon blue, blueberry blue."
Locals have been left confused by the strange discovery, and officials are issuing warnings.
It's not just one or two pigs, either, and at first, you could be forgiven for thinking it was AI, as it's such a strange shade.
Whole groups of pigs have been turning up with the blueberry blue flesh.
Officials are warning people not to eat any of the blue meat.
Let's face it, we all know someone who would try it for fun (or for clicks for a video).
While scientists aren't positive, it's believed the blue hue might come from poison.
Diphacinone is a rodenticide frequently used by farmers against populations of rats, mice, and squirrels.
It's also dyed bright blue.
Officials have warned it's not just pigs to be wary of, either, as they say the meat from wild pigs, deer, bears, and geese could also be contaminated.
Pesticide investigations coordinator Ryan Bourbour, from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), said: "Rodenticide exposure can be a concern for non–target wildlife in areas where applications occur in close proximity to wildlife habitat."
One possibility is that the afflicted pigs managed to eat the poison, or maybe even ate a rodent which has consumed it.
If a human were to eat the pig, they could become poisoned themselves.
Scientists found that the chemicals in the poison can remain in the tissue, even if cooked.
Pigs have been found with blue flesh in the past, with someone sharing pictures back in 2015.
The poster wrote: "So, my in–laws live on a ranch in Morgan Hill, CA, and they shot a wild pig on it. They thought it was a normal pig until they cut it open.
"When they cut into the pig, they found that the fat on the pig was a fluorescent blue. Everything else about the pig was normal, the meat, blood, etc. The only weird part was the blue fat throughout the body.
"We have no clue why the fat is this colour, but it is all over the pig, no matter the section."
The drug is now heavily controlled in California after the impact it was having on wildlife was discovered.
Burton said he saw wild pigs raiding ground squirrel bait stations, which were full of diphacinone-laced oats.
Despite being in rock-solid containers, they proved no match for the giant pigs.
A flock of geese with blue flesh had also previously been found in the San Francisco Bay area.
Jen Thomas