LeRae Haynes
Special to the Tribune/Advisor
Four piglets in the Cariboo recently had an excellent adventure that included escaping a pen at their new home, touring neighbouring farms and swimming across the Fraser River.
The eight-week old Ossabaw Island Hog piglets, described as perfect homestead pigs, originated from Egg and Horsehoe Farm near Kamloops and were purchased by Stephanie Bird from Slow Train Farm on the banks of the Fraser River.
Bird said when she met the piglets at Egg and Horsehoe Farm they were small, adorable and healthy – perfect for their new home on the family farm and homestead. “They were corralled in the owner’s truck for me to see when I got there.
“They are a small breed, and were smaller than I expected, but the animal-loving owner, Alanna Clapp, assured me they were ready to go,” she said.
“I got them home and put them in the location where we keep our piglets, and they seemed to settle in. We got busy with our market garden and worked all morning,” she continued. “I was in the orchard and heard oinking, ran to look and saw that they had all gotten out.”
The family was frantic and searched everywhere for the piglets. “We felt terrible. We talked to all the neighbours asking if they’d seen them,” she said. “We were busy getting ready for market, and three days later saw on the McLeese Lake community Facebook page that Barb Scharf from Hill Farm Nursery on the other side of the river, had posted that three little pigs had arrived on her shore the day they escaped.
“She described them and I knew they were ours – we were so relieved,” she stated, adding that where the piglets crossed the Fraser River it was more than a kilometre wide.
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The piglet adventure didn’t end there. The three then hoofed it about seven kms to Fraserbench Farm, owned and operated by Linda Archibald and Charlie Brous. “When I found out, I called Charlie and said, ‘I think you have our pigs.’”
“He couldn’t believe they had crossed the river and asked me to describe them,” she said. “I was so afraid they’d escape again and headed over there in a hurry.
“‘Don’t worry; they’re eating kale. They’re fine,’ he assured me.”
The fourth piglet had another adventure altogether. When the pigs first arrived at Hill Farm Nursery, and the owners were attempting to catch them, one of the piglets ran back into the Fraser River and made it back to the other side. It ended up 10 km south of Slow Train Farm, where it was captured and put in a dog crate.
“Mackin Creek Farm phoned to ask if it was ours,” Bird continued. “They had asked around and found out that we’d lost some pigs.”
She said they’re so happy to have all four piglets back safe and sound. “Facebook and word of mouth saved the day,” she stated.
“The piglets are very hearty and really cute and the kids are thrilled to have them home.”
“Maybe pigs can’t fly,” quipped Barb Scharf, “but apparently they can swim.”
Read more: Mountie caught ‘having a word’ with two pigs
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