Escaped pig dodges police as schoolchildren cheer
Pigs are now being cared for at Star's Piggly Wiggly Sanctuary
A pair of escaped pigs managed to duck and dodge police in West Kelowna, B.C., in front of a crowd of cheering schoolchildren Wednesday.
The chase unfolded outside Mar Jok Elementary on Wednesday morning, following reports that the pigs had been spotted on the loose in several locations eating rosebushes and wandering the streets, starting Tuesday afternoon.
Aside from RCMP, members of the regional district's animal control team and volunteers with multiple animal rescue groups were involved in the chase.
Faith Affleck of Star's Piggly Wiggly Sanctuary in the nearby community of Summerland was among those on the scene.
She said while the first pig was fairly easy to catch, the second one managed to evade the team, which included "four or five" police officers and close to a dozen other adults for nearly an hour.
Meanwhile, a group of elementary school-aged kids were cheering the pig on, adding to the chaotic scene.
"They didn't realize we were trying to help them," Affleck said, saying she has just over 40 pigs in her care, describing them as "affectionate" and "better than dogs, in my opinion."
While the first pig was secured inside a soccer net, the second one had to be pursued through walkways and into residential yards before it was secured.
Now the pair of roughly five-month-old males are getting used to life in Affleck's sanctuary.
"Hopefully their owners come ... otherwise, they'll stay with us forever," she said.
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With files from Sarah Penton and Castanet News