Explorer

Hogzilla (2005x6)

Air date: Mar 20, 2005

Summer 2004. Stories are circulating in the swamps of southern Georgia, USA about a huge and terrifying wild boar lurking in the woods. Local resident Chris Griffin encounters the animal and kills it. After taking a photograph, he buries the hog. Within weeks, stories of 'Hogzilla' rocket around the world via the Internet. Chris' 12-foot-long, 1000-pound wild hog becomes international news. But was this giant pig a hoax, or was it real? In 'Hogzilla', National Geographic Television & Film travels across the globe looking at the evolution and behavior of hogs and their interaction with humans. In the UK, the recent demand for wild boar meat has lead to increased hog production for food. The escape of some of these hogs from a farm in the UK however, has apparently led to a rebirth of the species in the wild. In Berlin, wild boars are invading people's homes. In China, hog farmers are feeding hogs with the aim of increasing their size as much as possible, creating their own 'Hogzillas'. Back in Georgia, hog experts dig up Chris Griffin's giant hog in a bid to discover its secrets. In the process, they create some interesting theories about how Hogzilla came to be and conclude that this monster may have been a product of man's own doing.