Vic C.
Member
- Mar 16, 2003
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The Two Tamworth Pigs Who Escaped Death at a UK Abattoir
A True Story of Porcine Escapism, Intelligence & Ingenuity!
The Great Escape!
In January 1998, two 5-month old Tamworth rare breed boars escaped while being unloaded at a Wiltshire U.K. slaughterhouse. The agile pair went "on the run", chased by an army of abattoir workers, police and news reporters. Their dramatic escape from the abattoir - just before being slaughtered - and their wily tricks to evade capture attracted media attention and captured the hearts of the animal-loving British nation. The two resourceful hogs were given the names "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sundance Pig".
The intrepid porcines squeezed under a supposedly secure fence and swam a large icy river in their bid for freedom - swine are naturally strong swimmers.
Even after they were finally discovery, six days after escaping, one of the young boars continued to evade capture for a further 36 hours in a confrontation with an army of animal handlers, RSPCA humane society officers, abattoir staff, police, dogs and a tempting female Tamworth sow. He even survived the first two of three immobilizing darts before finally succumbing to capture.
The pigs were eventually recaptured on January 15th in the garden of local residents - only quarter of a mile away from the abattoir. They had been feeding regularly on kitchen vegetable waste. It seems that local residents refused to report their presence until a national newspaper had guaranteed to purchase them and send them to an animal sanctuary.
http://www.pighealth.com/reviews/tamworth.htm
A True Story of Porcine Escapism, Intelligence & Ingenuity!
The Great Escape!
In January 1998, two 5-month old Tamworth rare breed boars escaped while being unloaded at a Wiltshire U.K. slaughterhouse. The agile pair went "on the run", chased by an army of abattoir workers, police and news reporters. Their dramatic escape from the abattoir - just before being slaughtered - and their wily tricks to evade capture attracted media attention and captured the hearts of the animal-loving British nation. The two resourceful hogs were given the names "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sundance Pig".
The intrepid porcines squeezed under a supposedly secure fence and swam a large icy river in their bid for freedom - swine are naturally strong swimmers.
Even after they were finally discovery, six days after escaping, one of the young boars continued to evade capture for a further 36 hours in a confrontation with an army of animal handlers, RSPCA humane society officers, abattoir staff, police, dogs and a tempting female Tamworth sow. He even survived the first two of three immobilizing darts before finally succumbing to capture.
The pigs were eventually recaptured on January 15th in the garden of local residents - only quarter of a mile away from the abattoir. They had been feeding regularly on kitchen vegetable waste. It seems that local residents refused to report their presence until a national newspaper had guaranteed to purchase them and send them to an animal sanctuary.
http://www.pighealth.com/reviews/tamworth.htm
