Escaped pigs saved from being shot thanks to locals

14 hours ago

Shivani ChaudhariEssex

Supplied Close-up of two of the rescued pigs looking into the camera. They are black and white

Pigs who escaped onto a busy dual carriageway have been saved from slaughter after the community rallied together.

The animals caused mayhem on the A127 at Dunton, near Basildon, when they darted between cars last week, leading to the road's closure.

Essex Police said five pigs had to be shot at the scene for safety reasons, but one ended up at Tower Hill Stables, in Asheldham, after seeking refuge in a resident's garden.

Eight of the pigs were due to be slaughtered on Tuesday, but an online fundraiser has saved their bacon after almost £6,000 was raised towards their upkeep.

Martin Morgan from Tower Hill Stables said: "We are hopefully taking eight; we've already got one that managed to get into somebody's garden... and it was also due to be shot, but the people whose garden it got into weren't too keen on that."

Watch the "feisty" pigs settle into their new home

It is still unclear where the pigs originally came from. Police previously said 20 had escaped on the A127. The BBC does not know the whereabouts of seven.

Morgan initially thought he would only be welcoming one pig to the sanctuary after receiving a phone call from a resident about the animal in her garden.

"We managed to get the little pig into the van and thought that was the end of it," he said.

But he soon found out there were lots more also looking for a home.

"I didn't sleep the night we were told about it because I did not think we could fit them in - like most sanctuaries, we are struggling," he said.

He felt the weight of the situation, knowing his decision could mean the difference between whether the "pigs live or die".

Supplied A close up of a pig and their snout covered in mud. The big is covered in mud and there is mud and bark surrounding them — The animals were first spotted on the A127 at Dunton, near Basildon, as they darted between cars

He was thankful when a fundraiser was set up and praised people for coming together to help the pigs.

"I'm very grateful to everyone who has donated and continues to donate for the feed bills because looking after 400 animals is a tall order," he added.

Morgan said males and females will be kept separately and three pigs have already been reunited with what appears to be their mum.

Speaking about the other swine, he hoped they remembered each other, as "introducing the pigs to other adult pigs is a nightmare".