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Piggies go 'Wee! Wee! Wee!' all the way around West Kelowna

Two pigs were on the lam for hours in West Kelowna

The lawns and shrubbery of West Kelowna are now safe from hog terror. 

Two pigs on the lam were seen wandering Rose Valley on Tuesday afternoon. For almost 24 hours the duo continued to be spotted digging up lawns and being mischievous.

Residents took to social media to report the sightings and try and keep track of where these two porkers were going. 

Following the trail of the suspects was Shannon Gallivan a rescue volunteer with the Okanagan Humane Society. 

By Wednesday morning, the two piggies had been corralled in the park near Mar Jok Elementary School. 

Gallivan was the first on the scene at about 8:15 a.m., followed by three RCMP officers and two Regional District of the Central Okanagan animal bylaw officers. 

“We were able to contain the pigs against a fence by using a soccer net from the school, thanks to the help of the RCMP and some community members,” explained Gallivan.

With the grunters finally contained, Star Piggly Wiggly Sanctuary from Summerland was contacted to come and collect the pigs as no one had claimed these wild hogs. 

One of the pigs was placed in the Piggly Wiggly van right away, but his partner in crime wasn’t done with his spree and high-tailed it out of there.

“I am not sure if people realize how fast pigs are,” said Gallivan. “We were on another two-hour adventure chasing this other little guy around.”

The male hog was finally secured at the end of Rose Meadow Drive at about 11:15 a.m. and placed into the care of the pig sanctuary.

“These two little lost souls were out there but thanks to all of these organizations coming together the RCMP, animal by law officers, Faith from Star Piggly Wiggly and Jacenda at Petra’s Pawdicures and Okanagan Humane Society, these two guys are now safe,” said Gallivan.

With no one claiming this bonded pair, who tore up the yards of West Kelowna residents, the Star Piggly Wiggly Sanctuary stepped in to provide them a place.

“We reached out to a few farmers in the area up Bartley Road and no one seems to know who these pigs belong to,” explained Gallivan. "The goal of OHS is to keep people and pets together and reunite people and pets, even with farm animals. But, for now, the pigs are safe at the sanctuary."

And, while Gallivan is one of the key volunteers who helps OHS with animal rescues, this is the first time she has ever worked with pigs. 

“I was just thinking, is this for real, I felt like this could be a movie,” laughed Gallivan. 

 

 



Jen Zielinski

About the Author: Jen Zielinski

I am a broadcast journalism graduate from BCIT and hold a bachelor of arts degree in political science and sociology from Thompson Rivers University. I enjoy volunteering with local organizations, such as the Okanagan Humane Society.
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