The village of Bolungarvík in Northwest Iceland welcomed its two newest residents last night: a pair of piglets. Vísir reports that the animals have been brought in with the hopes that they will help to root out the glut of wild chervil that has been plaguing the local environment. This is an experimental project that the town has embarked on in collaboration with the Westfjords Nature Research Centre.
Using pigs to control unwanted vegetation is a time-honoured method that farmers used to regularly use and that researchers are starting to appreciate as well. The idea, per a 2015 article in Science Daily, is to let the animals “…do what they do naturally: dig up the roots of weeds and fertilise the land.”
The Bolungarvík piglets are ten weeks old. The village is currently holding a competition in which residents can suggest names for them.
