Animal sanctuary deploying drones to find Peche Island pig

Volunteers with an animal sanctuary near Comber, Ont. plan on scouring Peche Island in search of a possible pig that continues to elude capture.

Kyle Gillis, who lives in Windsor, previously told CBC News in July that he saw what he believed was a wild boar while kayaking near Peche Island.

Gillis was unable to capture the animal on camera, but he was able to photograph its footprints in the sand. 

Lauren Edwards, the founder of Charlotte's Freedom Farm in Comber, now says she and volunteers plan on returning to Peche Island Saturday to see if they can identify and humanely capture the creature. 

Volunteers from the farm kayaked to Peche Island on Thursday, but they were unable to locate the animal. 

"We found fresh tracks today that we were confident could have belonged to a pig — but then we spotted three deer and we are now sure it was their prints," reads an excerpt from an Aug. 1 Charlotte's Freedom Farm Facebook post. "If you Google deer and pig prints they are very very similar!!!"

The plan is to return to Peche Island on Saturday, and search the island by on land as well as by air.

Edwards said local drone pilots connected with her organization and offered to search the island. 

"One guy says he has an army of drones," said Edwards. "I think the drone has the best chance"

"I know … a lot of [the island] is overgrown, but if they can fly around the outside … it seems like a good idea."

'Wild boar or pot-bellied pig?

Though Gillis told CBC News he spotted a wild boar, Edwards said she's not so sure he spotted a wild boar. 

Instead, Edwards believes the animal on Peche Island might be a pot-bellied pig abandoned by its owners. 

According to Edwards, approximately 97 per cent of pot-bellied pigs are rehomed when they reach one year "when they're not little anymore."

"We're asked to take in pot-bellied pigs all the time," she said. "We're really trying to push that big are not indoor pets and they shouldn't be purchased that way."

Edwards acknowledged that wild boars are known to be adept swimmers, but she said she's skeptical that a wild boar would be able to navigate the sometimes rough current around Peche Island.

Additionally, Edwards pointed out that Peche Island is largely surrounded by populated land. As such, it's unlikely that residents would have failed to notice a wild boar on the mainland. 

"Where would he have hopped in the water to swim over that nobody noticed this wild boar walking down Riverside or something, and then hopping in and swimming over?" she said.

Nonetheless, Edwards said her organization will work to ensure the animal's safety, even if the creature turns out to be a wild boar.

Regardless of the animal's exact species, Edwards said her organization can't ignore the creature. 

Both wild boar and pot-bellied pigs have specific nutritional needs which likely aren't being met on Peche Island. 

"I don't see how it could live on just vegetation out there," she said. 

Early morning search-and-rescue

Edwards originally planned on returning to Peche Island Friday, around 11 a.m., but changed her mind after she considered the daily habits of pigs in her sanctuary. 

"They get up in the morning, and then they eat and drink and walk around and go to the bathroom. Then they go back to sleep for the day," said Edwards. "We need to go when the sun comes up, at 6 a.m."

The plan now is to venture to Peche Island in the early morning to attempt to find the animal.

Tap on the player below to hear more from the founder of Charlotte's Freedom Farm on the CBC's Afternoon Drive:

If and when the creature is found, Edwards said her organization will work with local water towing companies to transport the animal off the island.

"We have had so many people reach out," said Edwards. "There's the C-Tow Company and then Canada Towing, and then there's a pontoon boat that goes back and forth from the marina."

In addition to her work with Charlotte's Freedom Farm, Edwards owns all three Pet Valu locations in Windsor. 

As a result, she has the necessary equipment to temporarily house the animal once it's been brought back to the mainland.

"We have everything we need," she said. "Once we confirm 100 per cent there's a pot-bellied pig, then absolutely I would say if we found him, someone would keep an eye on him, someone else would whip back over, get a big cage, call a boat and make it all happen."