The first time Kowhai jabbed me in the leg with his tusk, it hurt. The second time, a week later, it bled. Both times he was just nudging me, but a gentle nudge from a 300 pound kunekune boar with long tusks is a bit like a friendly slap on the back with a grizzly bear claw. We had to do something about those tusks.
In fact, Kowhai’s tusks were making it hard for him to eat. His front teeth don’t line up, so to eat grass he has to tip his head to the side. The long tusks were making it hard for him to graze, and he was losing weight.
“That’s it,” I said to him. “You need a visit from the dentist.” He just looked at me and grunted for more food.
Naya the superheroine vet
I immediately texted our friend Naya and asked if she could come trim Kowhai’s tusks. She’s a pig farmer and a vet, and she has a superhero’s ability to show up whenever an animal is in need.
As luck would have it, this was right around the time when we were organizing our annual Thanksgiving dinner. These dinners used to be huge (150 people one year), but the city friends who helped in the kitchen staged a mutiny. So now we keep them smaller.
This year we were having a mere 17 people for dinner, including Naya and her partner Jeremy. Ever practical, Naya offered to trim Kowhai’s tusks after the Thanksgiving meal.
Back when we were living in Chicago, if a psychic had told CJ and me that one day we’d be having Thanksgiving celebrations in New Zealand, we wouldn’t have believed them.
If they’d gone on to say that after the meal we’d be trimming the tusks on our 300 pound pet kunekune boar, we would have thought they were absolutely mad.
Thanksgiving weekend
That weekend the city friends started showing up on Friday night. Everyone got hugs all around, and city friends Debbie and Cody pulled out the ingredients for the stuffing.
But when we pulled the turkey out of the refrigerator to stuff it, we got a shock. In spite of the fact that I’d transferred it from the freezer to the fridge four days earlier, it was still frozen.
In a last-ditch effort to thaw the turkey, we tried to put it in the sink with cool water. But it wouldn’t fit. This is how we ended up with a giant turkey carcass floating in the bathtub.
At one point, our friend Steve held the turkey to the bathtub faucet and shot water up its backside. It wasn’t pretty. The entire episode traumatized several of our guests, and almost made them go vegetarian.
Nevertheless, the turkey thawed beautifully, and Thanksgiving was saved. On Saturday morning I was up at 5am to put it in the oven. Throughout the day more and more people showed up.
Our house is like a commune. Everyone is in and out of the kitchen, chopping, stirring, and helping. Nobody is in charge and everyone is responsible. I love this about our friends.
We sat down at 1 o’clock to a fabulous meal. Golden brown turkey, rib-sticking mashed potatoes, stuffing with mussels and wild rice and chorizo, beautiful roast beetroot and carrots, broccoli stir-fried in sesame and olive oil, cavolo nero cooked with onions and walnuts and topped with homemade garlic mayonnaise, roasted kumara (Maori sweet potato) with garam masala and coconut, scallops in garlic and butter, and several fresh green salads. For dessert we had pecan pie and a fantastic pumpkin mousse creation. During the meal we went around and everyone said what they were thankful for.
Afterwards people lingered – sitting at the table, lounging outside on deck, sipping beer and wine and tea. Everyone was talking and laughing.
Eventually Jeremy said, “Well, about that pig.”
“Yeah,” I said. “About that pig.” It was time for the tusk trimming, and I was a little nervous. Would it go okay?
“How do you want to do it?” Naya asked. “Sedate him or snare him?”
To sedate or to snare
Naya explained the risks with both options. Whenever you sedate a pig, there’s always a chance that something will go wrong. Getting the dosage correct is not a perfect science. And when the pig comes to, they’re groggy and stumble around a lot. They could easily hurt themselves.
Snaring the pig is safer for the pig, but it can be upsetting for everyone – the pig as well as any onlookers.
“So snaring is technically safer,” I said, “but sedation makes everyone feel better, even though it’s riskier for the pig?”
“Pretty much.” Naya nodded.
“I’d rather be uncomfortable than put Kowhai at risk.” I said.
With that, Jeremy got on his pig farmer clothes and a crowd of us headed out to the paddock. We were about to snare a giant pig…
Check out the thrilling conclusion: Boar tusk trimming party
Have you ever snared a pig?
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I would be careful around your pet *! My dad ( a most kind and gentle man) raised pigs and forbid me to go near our boars, We had a different kind with big floppy ears but I think the instinct to attack would be the same even if yours is a pet. when I read your post bellls went off and I recalled his warning.
I think your blog is very well done and I will enjoy reading it further.
(Hello from Canada!)
I was uneasy getting a boar on the property before Kowhai came, but he’s incredibly gentle and affectionate. He loves to be pet, and he leans into your leg in an adorable way. Of course we do have to be mindful — he is a boar after all. But he’s a good pig.
LOL @ your question, ‘Have you ever snared a pig?’ Er, well, yes – just not in the same genus. 😉 (cute pig, btw – you’ve reminded me that I’ll have to share my ‘Molly’ story on my blog sometime – about how our sow who thought she was one of the dogs tried to snuggle some campers next door to us).
Stories about sows trying to snuggle campers MUST be shared. And when I asked if you’d snared a pig, I wasn’t talking about husbands who don’t pick up after themselves! 🙂
Oh No! This is terrible. I was so engrossed in the story and abruptly had to put on my reading brakes! Do I really have to wait for the next full moon? However, it your Thanksgiving dinner sounded wonderful. You have much to be thankful for.
Yes, we all have much to be thankful for. I’m hoping to publish Part 2 sooner than next month!
I felt the same way!
No. I have never snared a pig but don know how to pronounce his name correctly. I have a friend in Martinborough. Great Thanksgiving BTW.
Hi Mrs Carmichael – Kowhai is named after a native NZ tree with yellow blossoms. It’s a beautiful tree. In Maori, ‘wh’ is pronounced ‘f’. So it’s like ‘ko-faee’ Listen to this recording to hear someone saying the word ‘kowhai’ – http://www.wintec.ac.nz/maori/language/files/ko-wha-i.mp3
My comment suffered from a lack of reading specs and too much nz sav blanc. I meant to say I do know how to pronounce but thank you for the intel and I like the link you posted to the Maori language files.
I am an ex pat too but have gravitated in the opposite directionish.
Fantastic! Expats are good people. 🙂
Yes I’ve snared a pig, although I think he was just exhausted after what seemed like hours chasing him round the paddock. After one spectacular rugby tackle we both collapsed on the grass and I got the loop round his leg without any trouble!
My latest animal husbandry task is (look away now if you’re eating) having to ‘clean’ the nostrils of one of my goats. I think the sticky pine pollen gets up there and, well, solidifies which makes her breathing difficult. I almost returned my lunch the first time, but can stomach it now as it makes such an immediate difference, although I do use a tissue, and gloves. A warning if you should try doing this at home though, look away when they sneeze.
Can’t wait for the conclusion of Kowhai’s dentistry tale…….
That’s fantastic! Disgusting, but fantastic. Maybe we’ll hold off on getting a goat… And congrats on being in the ‘I snared a pig’ club. 🙂
No, but my sister made me milk a goat once, and we have assisted other “procedures”..lol
I have never had the pleasure of milking a goat. I wanted to milk our neighbor’s cow once, but the cow is a man hater and only lets women milk her!
Lol, at the rate you’re going, I can see you milking a herd of yaks someday (or camels, or something equally interesting). Hang in there, Farmer Moon. Your milking days are comin! 🙂
Nope. Never. But I do love touching horses on the nose at a horse farm we visit from time to time. Never encountered a pig though.
Well as adorable as our pet pigs are, their noses are muddy and runny and so I’ll leave the nose touching to the horse lovers. 🙂
Haha fair enough
Oh you tease! I cant wait for the next installment in the pig tusk drama! Your thanksgiving lunch sounds simply devine and I adore the way you describe your friends – it all sounds like bliss. Next saga please!!! Becks x
Thanks, it really was a great day. I hope to send the next installment live in the coming week!