A black-and-white female pot-bellied pig roams loose on Nasson Lane in Woodland on Monday morning.
Note: This story was updated at 1:53 p.m.
A black-and-white pot-bellied pig roaming loose in Woodland was picked up by animal control officers and taken to the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Monday morning.
The slow-moving female pig roamed through several yards on Nasson Lane before it was corralled in a a backyard, where it was picked up by an animal control officer.
It wasn’t clear where the pig came from. It did not have a collar or identification tags.
Some people keep pot-bellied pigs as pets and one officer said he has encountered them before, although it’s not clear if they would be allowed in the center of the city.
Oak Ridge Animal Control Officer David Ridenour catches a loose pot-bellied pig in Woodland on Monday. Ridenour started working in Oak Ridge recently, and he said this was his first pot-bellied pig call.
Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said agricultural animals are allowed on land that is zoned RG-1. That property is agricultural and residential, and lots have to be at least 200,000 square feet with setbacks of 50 feet on all sides, with the exception of accessory buildings (farm buildings), which are required to be 100 feet from front lot lines.
Baldwin said there is quite a bit of land on the west end of Oak Ridge that is zoned RG-1 and other pockets of it elsewhere in the city.
She said she hasn’t run into pot-bellied pigs in Oak Ridge before. The city sometimes has to decide whether an animal is agricultural or a pet, Baldwin said.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Angi Agle says
Most people who keep pot-bellied pigs as pets keep them in the house; they’re very smart and easily housebroken. This incident should be treated no differently than a stray dog… the poor thing was probably abandoned.
johnhuotari says
It sounds like a few people know who the owner is, but I’m not sure if they’ve been in touch with the owner or whether the owner has gone to claim the pig at the animal shelter.
Aaron Wells says
If no one claims her she would make a great donation to a local food shelter to help feed the homeless.