Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe ADELAIDE, Australia, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- An official with the Royal Adelaide Show says despite concerns about swine flu, pig diving and pig racing will still take place at the Australian event. Royal Show chief executive John Rothwell said pigs taking part in the pseudo-sporting competitions at the annual fair are less at risk for spreading swine flu because the animals are not made accessible to the general public, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday. Advertisement "They have their own facilities, they're only handled by their trainers, whereas our exhibition pigs and so forth are all open really for handling by a large number of people," Rothwell said of pigs taking part in the racing and diving competitions at the fair, which is to take place Sept. 4-12. Meanwhile, nearly 200 pigs will not take part in exhibitions at the Royal Adelaide Show because of a precautionary ban. Swine flu, the name commonly used for the H1N1 flu virus, is an infection that can be transmitted from human to human, but is not transmittable from pigs to humans. "From their point of view, it's far better off to protect their industry and take the precaution rather than the risk," Rothwell told ABC regarding the ban. Advertisement
