One Wednesday morning, a student met a small friend who appeared to be a long way from home.
At 10:15 a.m., Kirby Crosbie, acting junior, was driving past the Jim Wade Stadium on her way to the Market at Alvin’s in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center for a snack before her noon class when she saw a small animal scurrying across the road in front of oncoming traffic.
“I thought it was a small dog, and I was scared it was going to get hit by a car.” Crosbie said.
She slowed the vehicle down to get a better look and discovered, to her bewilderment, that the small animal was not a stray dog, but in fact, a pot belly pig.
“It was teeny-teeny, it was a female and it had black and pink spots on it,” Crosbie said.
She promptly parked her car in a nearby lot and walked over to where the pig had nested itself on the asphalt. She softly touched the pig’s back and directed it towards the grass outside the Jim Wade Stadium while sharing her discovery on Snapchat.
“Guys I just found a pig! What the heck is happening?” Crosbie said to the camera as she escorted the pig to the grass. Once the small suidae was safely out of danger, Crosbie said she sat down and considered her options.
Crosbie said the first thing she did was call the Oklahoma City University Police Department, who told her they were unable to deal the pig themselves but would contact OKC Animal Control and send someone from the station over, so she decided to wait with the pig until help arrived.
“I called again 10 minutes later, and asked ‘Hey, is anyone coming,’ and they said no.” Crosbie said.
At this point she knew the time before her next class was running slim, but she did not have any intention of abandoning her new friend.
“I was sitting there, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called Sophia, and said ‘hey, do you have a blanket in your dorm? What are you doing right now?’ and she brought a blanket to help wrangle this pig,” Crosbie said.
Soon after, Sophia Ciavarelli, acting junior, arrived with a blanket in hand, to help her friend nurture the pot belly pig.
“Kirby wanted to take the pig to Theatre History until animal control could come, but pigs really hate to get picked up.” Ciavarelli said.
So, the two students waited together while the tiny animal nuzzled its head between Crosbie’s legs, looking up at her lovingly.
“Pigs are very social creatures, if they are raised and socialized properly (similar to dogs). The human animal bond with pigs can be strong and beautiful!” Erin Pace, supervisor at OKC Animal Welfare, said.
The pig was growing accustomed to Crosbie and Ciavarelli, when an OCU staff member stumbled upon the two students accompanied by the animal.
“The pest control guy drove by and said, ‘do you have a pig?’ He thought someone abandoned it because he heard it earlier and saw that some food was dumped nearby.” Crosbie said.
The unidentified pest control man then offered to take the pig in a cage he had with him, claiming he knew a few friends with farms that would be willing to take the pig in.
“So, then it became me, Sophia and the pest control man chasing around this pig, trying to get it in the cage.” Crosbie said.
At this point, the pig was profusely squealing at the three people chasing it, which Pace said was likely not a sign of aggression.
“When pigs are vocal, it sounds much worse than it is! If a pig wasn’t socialized when it was young, it can squeal when it is nervous and confused or being picked up by someone they don’t know. I am going to assume this is what was happening as a college campus is probably a foreign place for that little guy!” Pace said.
Eventually, the girls and the staff member successfully ushered the pot belly pig into the small cage.
“After he was put in the cage the pest control man said goodbye and took him to put in his truck out of the cold.” Ciavarelli said.
The students rushed away to make it to their noon classes and never saw the pig again.
The man who was left with the pig has not been identified, and it is unknown whether the pet ever found a new home at a cozy farm. It is also unconfirmed whether animal control was ever notified of the pig’s presence on campus by the Oklahoma City University Police Department, but Pace said it is Oklahoma law to do so.
“Any stray animal must be reported to either the local municipal shelter or county/sheriff office if a shelter doesn’t exist. The person taking care and custody of the stray can then hold onto the animal for 1 week. After that, it would legally become their property if no owner came forward.” Pace said.
None of the parties involved ever found out why the pig was on campus, but both students said they theorize it had either been abandoned by an unprepared owner or had escaped from captivity, which Pace agreed was not unlikely.
“A common occurrence we see with all animals is an owner rushing into owning an animal when they weren’t financially, emotionally or physically ready for the commitment it takes,” Pace said.
However, the OKC Animal Welfare supervisor insisted this did not mean pigs were not worth owning.
“With any domesticated animal, if the owner has the right tools, set up, education and dedication, the human-animal relationship can be extremely successful. If a person is well educated on pot belly pigs and ready to commit to them for their lifespan, they can successfully raise one, even in the city,” Pace said.
Crosbie and Ciavarelli said they could only speculate and hope the little pot belly pig found a new place to call home in this city.
OKC Animal Welfare can be contacted at (405) 297-3100 for any stray or lost animals.
Leave a Reply