Town near Edmonton bands together to rescue abandoned pig
A dramatic rescue of an abandoned pig north of Edmonton resulted in a happy ending.
Jade Tory, a 21-year-old from Strathcona County, was on Facebook one late night when she noticed a shared post about a feral pig near Gibbons, 37 kilometres north of Edmonton.
Residents of the town say the pig had been roaming for over a year and was allegedly abandoned in a nearby subdivision.
“I had been in Cochrane for the weekend, but I knew that come Monday if he was still loose, I would make some plans to go help him,” Tory explained.
“Sure enough, the poor guy was still on his own, so I headed to our acreage in Strathcona County, where I “recruited” my younger brother, and we grabbed the horse trailer before heading to Gibbons.”
Tory and her 17-year-old brother set out to capture the pig, but not before a few obstacles, including a blown trailer tire and no spare, got in the way.
Jade Tory
Finally, the pair made it to Gibbons. After four hours of attempting to capture the pig, locals and even animal control eventually pitched in to help with the capture.
Locating the pig was the easy part, but he turned out to be quicker than anticipated, sparking a chase through several subdivisions.
“We had to have travelled four kilometres following him on foot — he was fast,” she said.
“We tried every method in the book to catch this dude, but he was scared and wasn’t too keen on getting near us.”
Jade Tory
They had managed to trap the pig at least once, but he slipped through a gap in the fence. With assistance from locals and animal control, they finally cornered him in a second yard.
A wave of relief swept over the group as the pig was corralled into the trailer and the latch securely closed.
“It was so surreal. Just knowing that we did it and he’s going to be safe was so amazing.”
Jade Tory
Now recovering on Tory’s family farm, the pig, believed to be a potbelly and named “Gibby” in honour of the Town of Gibbons, is settling in well to his new home. He’s set to receive vet care this week and is warming up well to his new family.
“He’s still in the barn until we can introduce him to the other animals, but he’s settling really nicely. He eats out of my hand now and will let me pet him.”
“I’m just thrilled that he will get to have a proper life. Pigs are one of the smartest animals in the world, and he’s had a rough go. He’s already come out of his shell so much.”
Tory expressed her gratitude for the community’s support. A GoFundMe has been set up for Gibby’s vet care, which includes a thorough checkup, neutering, vaccinations, tusk trimming, and correction of his overgrown hooves, as he has virtually no medical history.
“It has been so amazing to see how a small community welcomed me with open arms and helped me for hours to ensure Gibby got to safety.”
Tory plans to continue updating the town on Gibby’s progress.
Jade Tory