A large and mischievous pig is on his way to a new life after disrupting traffic and damaging property for days in Aurora, Colorado.
Fred, as he is now known, was first spotted on the street on Sept. 24, when the city received “its first call about a pig in traffic,” city spokesman Michael Brannen said in an email to HuffPost.
But Fred eluded animal control officers that afternoon, and over the next few days the pig was spotted several times around town, mostly “trotting near traffic and digging up landscaping work.”
At some point, Fred caught a lasso hanging around his neck, indicating that someone had tried to catch him but failed. It is unclear who the attempted kidnapper was, as Brannen clarified that the lasso was not intended to provide animal services.
But on September 27th, Fred became uneasy – what he described as a “multi-day crime spree”. local news agency Denver7 – came to an end.
But the pig didn’t give up so easily.
“He was loud and a little dramatic,” said wildlife field manager Augusta Allen Sentinel Colorado said.
Ultimately, it took five animal control employees, three park employees and “at least” two employees to successfully capture him. This included building a makeshift alley out of wooden panels and locking Fred in a trailer.
Since his capture, Fred has been “living a comfortable life at the Aurora Animal Shelter,” Brannen said. According to the Sentinel, his digs at the shelter include a trough — which the shelter had to purchase because it’s not used to housing pigs — and a children’s pool for him to wallow in.
Although he has been described in the media as weighing 400 to 600 pounds, no one knows exactly how much he weighs because the shelter does not have a scale large enough to weigh him.
What they do know is that he has an adorable personality.
“He was very, very friendly,” Allen said CBS News Colorado. “He’s such a sweet guy. If he were a dog, I would take him home.”
Because no one came forward to pick up the offending pig and he didn’t have a microchip or other identification, the shelter is working to find a “safe, permanent home for Fred so he can live a happy life,” Brannen said . And even though Fred isn’t available for public adoption, the animal care There are still numerous dogs, cats and other small animals looking for a home.
