Auckland residents are feeling ‘hambushed’, as a runaway pig refuses to be caught, a week after it was first spotted eating a woman’s garden.
Residents of Pāremoremo first reported seeing a pig eating in the garden belonging to an older woman, leaving Auckland Council Animal Management Officer Candice Vicars to try and come to the rescue.
“It’s making its home in lots of people's gardens and destroying their gardens, rubbing up all the grass, and making itself a new little home,” she told Breakfast.
Vicars says she doesn’t know where this pig came from but calls it “cunning” and “intelligent”.
She says now her priority is catching the pig, “then we will take the next steps”.
They have almost caught the pig twice but says both times the pig avoided capture.
“We’ve almost caught it once, but then it decided that ‘nope! I am a free bird, I am going to carry on’ and it ran on through the bushes and we were unable to catch it.
“The second time it was just doing its normal thing looking for worms and as soon as it saw us - boom, it’s out, and before we even knew it, we didn’t even know what direction he’d gone in.
“This one is very intelligent and knows that ‘I don’t want to be caught, I’m happy'.”
Vicars is quick to say the traps set out for the pig’s capture are humane, saying there are currently two traps set up to aide in the capture.
“One [trap] was done by one of the members of the public and it’s a cage trailer with moss and food all in it, and she’s out there every day, trying to coax it into the trailer and become friends with it.
“We’ve also got a humane dog trap on the main property and it’s got cabbage, and all sorts in, trying to lure it in.”
Vicars was amused to tell Breakfast that the runaway pig was “medium-sized”.
“If I ever catch it and I have to tackle it, it’s going to be a struggle.”
This situation is normally outside of Auckland Council Animal Management's jurisdiction, but she says due to the “concern” of the community, “we are stepping up” efforts to catch the animal.
If they are successful in catching the pig, Auckland Council Animal Management will keep it in a shelter for a few days while its owner is found.
If no one picks up their porky friend, the pig will be put up for adoption.
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