A pig on the lam from a trip to the butcher withstood Taser shots from police officers and eluded authorities for more than an hour after wandering onto Green Bay's major highway Wednesday night.
The 150-pound pig was spotted by a passing driver on U.S. 41 at 6 p.m. Wednesday night, Green Bay Police Lt. Todd LePine said. The animal reportedly went into traffic several times, creating a hazard, he said.
Officers located the pig about 7 p.m. and made two attempts to subdue it with a stun gun, he said, but it fled both times after pulling out the Taser probes.
A passerby who described himself as a former pig farmer tried to wrestle the animal, but the animal pulled away from him as well, LePine said.
Three tranquilizer darts were finally used to bring the pig under control, and it was placed in blanket and lifted into an animal control van, LePine said.
The animal was taken to the Bay Area Humane Shelter that evening. Police said a local attorney planned to claim the pig Thursday.
Appleton attorney Nila Robinson, who raises pigs on her farm, told the Green Bay Press-Gazette the pig was hers. The animal escaped somewhere between an Appleton Starbucks and Maplewood Meats near Green Bay.
The wild run was a success for the pig, at least for now.
“The pig’s not going to slaughter anytime soon,” Robinson told the Press-Gazette. “It was shot with tranquilizers, and what does that do to a pig? I’ll just have to give it some thought. The pig’s future at present is unknown.”
