MOUNT JOY, Pa. — A potbelly pig pursuit proceeded through Lancaster Township’s Hamilton Park neighborhood on Thursday, with three Manheim Township Police officers and a civilian police aide in tow.
Neighbors had been calling police for several days with reports of a pig on the loose. Around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, someone called in to say the pig was napping under their backyard trampoline. Police tried to lure the pig out with some food, but it escaped through a hole in the fence.
“A foot pursuit of the escaped swine ensued, and yes, we see the irony in three cops chasing a pig,” read part of a statement released by the Manheim Township Police Department. “As it turns out, Hamilton wasn't as tired as we thought because we're fairly certain he's the fastest pig alive.”
Eventually, the pig was captured, but not before almost getting hit by a car. For that reason and because authorities had no way to transport the pig nor a place to leave it, they considered putting it down.
“They were going to euthanize him because the police were worried, the game commission was worried about him getting hit by a car, causing some kind of an accident,” said Sarah Salluzzo, executive director of Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, which volunteered to adopt the pig.
By the end of the multi-hour chase, police had named the pig “Hamilton” for the neighborhood where he was found.
“But we didn’t really like the ham/Hamilton association,” Salluzzo said. “We were saying names to him and he actually looked up and then he stood up and took a few steps toward us when we said Gregory so we said, ‘That’s it! It’s Gregory.’”
Gregory has spent the last day recovering in a quarantine stall at the sanctuary in Mount Joy. Salluzzo said the staff is still trying to determine what happened to Gregory, as potbelly pigs are usually kept as pets, but Gregory appears to be a few years old, is unneutered and has mange. He also seems nervous around people.
“When we got back here, we put some apples in his room and he seemed like, ‘I don’t like you guys, but I like these apples.’ So he ate them kind of begrudgingly, but I think it will take a little time and a little bribery and he’ll come around,” Salluzzo said.
Lancaster Farm Sanctuary cares for a variety of animals, including goats, horses, ducks, cows, potbelly pigs and domestic pigs.
Once Gregory is neutered and treated for parasites, he will join the sanctuary’s four other potbelly pigs.
Manheim Township Police said it was the best possible outcome for the pig. They wrote in a statement,
“Not all heroes wear capes; sometimes, they wear muck boots.”