Pig living at highway rest stop rescued
60-kilogram oinker was wandering around near Hixon, a short drive from Prince George, B.C.
Chocolate doughnuts and quick hands were part of a successful mission to save a pig from the side of a major highway in northern B.C. late last week.
The female pig — estimated at 60 kilograms — is settling into her new life at a local animal rescue but the mission to help her didn't go off without a hitch.
The sow was spotted wandering around a rest stop near Hixon, 62 kilometres south of Prince George on Highway 97. Nearby construction workers first spotted her, and eventually, a motorist at the rest stop dialled up Kerri Hegel, the owner of PG Tickled Pig Rescue in Prince George.
Hegel drove to the location and, sure enough, there was the pig.
Hungry and hustling people for food
"She was walking around the rest stop … hustling all the people that were stopping there for food," Hegel told Carolina de Ryk, host of CBC's Daybreak North. "Every time a car would pull in, she would walk up. She was hungry."
WATCH | The rescued sow settles into her new digs:
Initial reports were that the pig might be pregnant, but Hegel says she could tell right away the wayward sow was simply overweight, and her belly was sagging because of a lack of food.
Hegel says she had some chocolate-toasted coconut doughnuts with her, and the pig made quick work of them.
After a search around the area to see if an owner could be found, Hegel returned to the rest stop and, with the help of others, was able to get the pig into a crate for transport to Prince George.
Despite being in need of help, Hegel says the pig did not want to be caught.
"We had quite a feisty little roundup of her," Hegel said.
"One of the fellows there, he managed to get close enough that he quickly grabbed her leg, and that was how we caught her."
Pig might have been dumped at rest stop
Hegel says nobody has contacted her about the pig, and it's unclear how the animal ended up at the rest stop. In her view, it's possible the pig was no longer wanted.
"There [are] a lot of people who adopt a pot-bellied pig, and they think it's going to be their small teacup pig, but pigs actually grow to be up to around 200 pounds, so they end up a lot larger than people think, and then, of course, people rehome them," Hegel said. "So I think if people couldn't find anywhere for her to go, it may be possible that she could have been dumped there."
Pet pigs known for their intelligence
According to PotbellyPigs.com (yes, there's a website), pigs are social, curious and smart.
"Man rates the pig as the fifth most intelligent animal, with man ranking first, followed by monkeys, dolphins, whales, and pigs," the website says.
The site also says pigs have no body odour and are quite affectionate.
"They love companionship and body closeness," it says. "Many pig owners actually allow their pig to share the bed and maintain that a porcine sleeping partner is not only warm and cuddly, but doesn't wiggle, squirm or hog the bed."
Hegel knows this first hand: She started the rescue after picking up a pig from a local ranch and spent plenty of time snuggling with it on the couch.
"I love a good pig pile," she said.
A budding friendship with another pig
Hegel now has "the rest stop pig," as she has come to be known until she can be properly named, at PG Tickled Pig Rescue, which has been operating for about six years.
She says the newest addition is happy and wants to get in there and mingle with the other oinkers. But Hegel says she'll stay separated from the crowd until she gets a visit from the vet for deworming.
But it's likely the pig will stay with Hegel because of a budding friendship: One of her other rescues, Rupert, has already broken through a fence to visit the new arrival and Hegel says the two seem to get along really well. "They like each other," she said.
In the meantime, and moving forward, no more doughnuts: aside from a treat here and there. She's now on a diet of vegetables, and that might be her only complaint with her new situation.
"She loves bread," Hegel said. "When you give her veggies, she's not as eager to eat them. She had a bunch of veggies the other day, and she left all the broccoli. She was not having that."
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With files from Daybreak North