AUGUSTA — A piglet-at-large who was caught after dodging traffic on Route 3 Saturday has been returned back to its owner.
City police received a report around 6 p.m. on Saturday that the 50-pound piglet was running in traffic on North Belfast Avenue, just east of Church Hill Road, said Sgt. Jesse Brann.
“A good Samaritan stopped and caught the pig and was detaining it for us when officers arrived,” Brann said Saturday.
Augusta Police Sgt. Christian Behr said Monday that the pig was confirmed to be owned by someone with property near where the pig was caught. Behr said he did not know if the pig had a name nor if it was a farm animal or a household pet.
Brann said two officers went door-to-door looking for the pig’s owner without any luck on Saturday, and they posted information about the swine on their Facebook page and Twitter. While police looked for the owner, Brann said the piglet was cared for by “someone who is familiar with farm animals.” Behr said the pig was in that person’s care for “half a day.”
“He seems to be in good condition,” Brann said of the pig. “He looked like he had been running around for a while because he was pretty tired.”
Augusta police are no strangers to farm animal incidents. The department is keeping a lookout for a sheep that’s been “on the lam” for a few weeks, he said, and they assisted a lost horse and donkey in July.
An escaped pig “the size of a mini horse” in Highland, California, made national headlines Monday morning when San Bernardino County Sheriffs used Doritos to lure it back into its pen.
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
Twitter: @SamShepME
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