LANCASTER, Pa. — After fielding reports for several days about an escaped pig roaming around their jurisdiction, a Lancaster County police department announced Thursday that the wayward pig has been penned.
But what a chase it was, according to the Manheim Township Police Department -- whose account of the swine's capture is really a must-read.
According to police, residents of the Hamilton Park neighborhood in Lancaster Township have been calling in reports of pig sightings for the last few days.
At about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, one resident on the 900 block of Elm Avenue called police to report that the pig, later named "Hamilton" by members of the police department, was napping under a trampoline in his backyard.
Three police officers and a civilian aide responded to find that the pig, which the police department described as "enormous," was still there.
But according to police, the officers were baffled about what to do next.
"Had this been a dog or cat, it would have been resolved within the hour," the department said. "But livestock on the loose? Not exactly in our wheelhouse."
Manheim Township Police officers do not typically carry the equipment necessary to catch, contain, or transport a pig, the department said. Nor did anyone with the department know where exactly to take the pig even if they could capture it.
After calling around to several agencies and rescue organizations, police finally called the Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, which sent out volunteers to help secure the swine.
But when police and the volunteers attempted to catch him, Hamilton proved to be quite elusive.
"We're fairly certain he's the fastest pig alive," the department said in its account.
Hamilton was able to elude police, found a portion of the yard that was not fenced in, and staged a daring escape, leading the officers and volunteers on a foot pursuit back into the neighborhood.
"Yes, we see the irony of three cops chasing a pig," the department said.
The pig continued to elude his pursuers and was nearly struck by a passing Tesla on Atkins Avenue, police said. He then raced to a courtyard outside Pediatric Specialty Care on Rider Avenue, according to police.
There, the officers and volunteers were able to pen the pig in a fenced-in courtyard. It took roughly more minutes of chasing Hamilton around the courtyard -- "probably much to the amusement of the staff inside Pediatric Specialty Care" the police department quipped -- before the officers were able to coax the pig into a dog crate.
The Farm Sanctuary then transported Hamilton to his new home in Mount Joy.
The Sanctuary intends to post updates on Hamilton on its social media pages, the police department said.
"The Manheim Township Police Department is extremely thankful for the assistance of several neighbors, the staff at Pediatric Specialty Care, and the staff of Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in getting 'Hamilton' in custody," the department said. "We are much better at catching criminals than we are at catching farm animals, and without Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, we'd probably still be standing in that backyard on Elm Avenue, staring at that sleeping pig, asking, 'So, now what?'"
