Two pigs abandoned in Hoo have been given new homes near Tenterden - and new names.
Published: 00:00, 05 November 2015
Updated: 15:40, 05 November 2015
Two pigs abandoned in Hoo have been given new homes - and new names.
It is believed the porkers were dumped because their owner thought they were micro pigs and couldn’t look after them when they got too big.
Animal lover Jenny Shaw went to rescue the animals after receiving a call from her friend who saw them in an orchard in Stoke Road.
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Video: Reporter Josie Hannett went to see Danny and Kieran
She said: “A friend of mine went down to he field one morning to see her horses and saw these two pigs. It was a bit of a surprise.
“They were tame and friendly and let her son give them a hug.”
Nobody in the area knew whose pigs they were - or where they’d come from. They had made their way to the orchard and were busy munching fallen pears and apples.
“It’s something we’ve seen before,” said Mrs Shaw, who lives in Rochester. “People buy them as micro pigs but they grow to the size of a labrador.
“They’ve been really well looked after, they’ve obviously been someone’s pet - they’ve had their teeth cleaned.”
Mrs Shaw volunteers at The Retreat animal rescue centre near High Halden, Ashford, which looks after more than 1,000 animals, including around 100 pigs.
She asked the owner Billy Thompson if he had room for two more.
He agreed to look after them and suggested they should be named after Mrs Shaw’s sons, Danny, 13, and nine-year-old Kieran.
She said: “They’re going to be in very good company. Danny pig is quite forward and loves food, and that’s the same with my oldest son. Kieran pig will lurk around at the back and is the escape artist. He jumped the 5ft high stable door.”
The charity, run by volunteers, has rescue centres at Crockenhill, High Halden and Ashford and rescues farm animals including cows, horses, and goats. They also rescue dogs, cats and ferrets.
For further details, visit www.retreatanimalrescue.org.uk.
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Jade Edwards