Pig on the run eludes capture in Springdale Township until owner shows up

A wayward pig eluded capture for several hours Monday in Springdale Township after attempts by residents and police to lure and lasso the 100-pound, black-haired swine failed.

No one was injured but jokes abounded on the Facebook page “Springdale Borough News,” with one poster wryly noting that Monday was National Bacon Day.

Another person posted: “I did see the crowd around it when I drove by, I thought it was someone’s new pet.”

A Shrader Street resident called police about 3:45 p.m. Monday complaining about a pig in her front yard. Allegheny Valley Regional Police Chief Mike Naviglia’s cell phone blew up with a flurry of messages. Naviglia wondered if the report was a joke. He didn’t believe it until police arrived on the scene.

There it was, a large black pig with tusks rooting through people’s yards.

Residents and police alike tried to catch the pig, which Naviglia described as “pretty fast.” The animal would take off when anyone got near it, he said.

Naviglia called animal rescue organizations and others Monday for help. But no one returned his call.

“There’s nothing in the police manual on how you deal with a pig,” said Naviglia, who is quite familiar with animals as a longtime trainer of police K-9s and fielding a number of bear calls over the years.

Aside from discovering the pig liked cheese, residents and police just couldn’t lure the apparently intelligent animal into a large cage, according to Naviglia.

Someone tried to catch it with a snare pole, but the compact animal was too powerful to ensnare.

Knowing the animal had to be someone’s pet, a resident posted a plea for the animal’s owner to come get their pig. Naviglia noted the same Facebook page had in the past been successful in reuniting lost dogs with their owners.

Sure enough, the pig’s owner, who lived about a half-mile away, was alerted by the post and showed up at about 5:30 p.m. with his daughter, who coaxed the animal into their care.