Wild Boar Meat May have Poisoned a New Zealand Family

Botulism will mess you up. It’s an extreme type of food poisoning caused by a toxin secreted by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The toxin, known as botulinum, acts by blocking nerve function, which is why it’s also used to make Botox. Inhaling even one microgram of botulinum is enough to kill an adult by essentially freezing up all muscles, including eventually the respiratory system. With all this in mind, next time someone offers you a platter of wild boar maybe just politely decline. And that’s because three members of a New Zealand family are currently in hospital suffering botulism, possibly contracted after eating a wild boar shot on a hunting trip.

Subi Babu, her husband Shibu Kochummen, and his mother Alekutty Daniel were all found unconscious in their Waikato home on Friday night. The New Zealand Herald reports that soon after eating a dinner that included the boar, they started vomiting and fainting. Two children who did not eat the meat are unaffected.

Family friend Joji Varghese said the adults became sick within 30 minutes of eating the meat and then began throwing up every 15-minutes.

It’s suspected that the boar, which Kochummen had killed on a hunting trip, is the most likely source of the poison. The meat has been taken for testing and results are expected on Friday.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Richard Vipond said officials were investigating potential sources for the illness: "We do not have any evidence to determine any broader contaminated game meat, or that there is a risk to public health, however I would encourage anyone who is hunting or handling game meat to follow guidelines as set out by the Ministry for Primary Industries."

The NZ Deerstalkers' Association president Bill O'Leary told the Herald that he had not heard of anyone being poisoned from game meat—but it wasn’t uncommon for wild animals to be dropped off at a game butcher and only to be deemed unfit for human consumption.

"From a hunter's point of view, this is the first incident I've heard of a number of people going down," he said.

O'Leary questioned how the meat was treated, including whether it was gutted quickly and safely and how long it had been left out before or after cooking.