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PETA Claims That Cambodian Farmers Are Breeding "Double-Muscled" Mutant Pigs

posted by Fnord666 on Monday October 02 2017, @06:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the swine-version-of-the-universe-championships dept.

takyon writes:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claims that Cambodian farmers are breeding "double-muscled" pigs. "Double-muscled" refers to a mutation in the myostatin gene (MSTN) which normally keeps muscle growth in check. Disruption of MSTN can lead to the abnormal proliferation of muscle cells in an organism:

Mutant pigs bred to grow to an enormous size just to be slaughtered and eaten? No, we aren't talking about the plot of the eye-opening Netflix sensation Okja—rather, this is the very real horror that seems to be unfolding on a Cambodian farm, where genetically altered pigs are being bred to develop heaping knots of muscle mass. Disturbing video footage and images captured on the farm have exploded around the web, sparking discussions about the many ways that animals suffer and are abused when they're treated as nothing more than "food."

[...] When South Korean and Chinese scientists created 32 double-muscled piglets in 2015, according to reports, only one was considered even marginally healthy. But pigs suffer even without this "Frankenscience"—on typical pig farms, their tails are cut off, their sensitive teeth are ground down, and the males are castrated, all without so much as an aspirin. Then, even though we have a wealth of nutritious plant-based foods to eat, these intelligent, playful, sociable animals' throats are slit and their bodies are turned into pork chops or sausages.

Breeders have exploited natural double-muscling, which occurs in Belgian Blue cattle, to create behemoth animals who suffer from a slew of health problems—just to yield slightly larger profits.

[Note: On Google News, only corroborating sources seem to be British tabloids right now]

Previously: "Double-Muscled" Pigs Created Using Simple Gene Modification
Scientists Create Extra-Muscular Beagles

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Monday October 02 2017, @07:49AM (7 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 02 2017, @07:49AM (#575800) Journal

    these intelligent, playful, sociable animals' throats are slit and their bodies are turned into pork chops or sausages.

    Of course, PETA, what can one expect from you?!?
    You forgot the BACON!!! ... you... you... arghhh!

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday October 02 2017, @10:42AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday October 02 2017, @10:42AM (#575843) Journal

    these intelligent, playful, sociable animals' throats are slit and their bodies are turned into pork chops or sausages.

    Of course PETA got it wrong. They're always so focused on the four-legged animals that they missed the real scandal in the operation, that the above quote was referring to the workers.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by c0lo on Monday October 02 2017, @11:44AM (2 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 02 2017, @11:44AM (#575857) Journal

    The avant-garde of "civilization" in Australia: pigs [wikipedia.org].
    The effects:

    As of 1987, feral pigs are considered to be the most important mammalian pest of Australian agriculture.

    The feral pig "society" [theland.com.au]

    Mr Wishart said the LLS had made some big achievements, but regrettably, feral pigs were “here to stay”.

    He expected a wave of piglets in six-months time, thanks to recent rain.

    “Feral pigs respond very quickly to rain events,” Mr Wishart said. “An abundance of green grass gives sows the perfect environment to breed in. They can reproduce when they hit 25-kilograms and can have two lots of up to 10 piglets a year.”

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 02 2017, @03:35PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 02 2017, @03:35PM (#575931)

      and can have two lots of up to 10 piglets a year.

      Worse than the mexicans.

      • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Monday October 02 2017, @03:52PM

        by LoRdTAW (3755) on Monday October 02 2017, @03:52PM (#575938) Journal

        WTF are you smoking? Mexicans don't produce bacon.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 02 2017, @12:07PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 02 2017, @12:07PM (#575865)

    PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals ?

  • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Monday October 02 2017, @01:26PM (1 child)

    by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 02 2017, @01:26PM (#575883)

    bacon++

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday October 02 2017, @06:57PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Monday October 02 2017, @06:57PM (#576082)

      Never quite understood that one. I prefer to pre-increment bacon before eating.