Pet pig stabbed at least 10 times
Sun City, FL (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Sep 15, 2007
County: Hillsborough
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Big Pig is such a docile animal that he waddles over to his owner to eat yogurt and drink canned soda out of her hand.
But the 400-pound family pet was treated like a wild boar late Saturday night or early Sunday morning when someone - maybe several people - broke into his petting zoo pen and stabbed him at least 10 times, said his owner, Cornelia Winn.
The attacker also took as many as five other pigs from Sun City Stables' pigpen, Winn said.
Her family originally thought as many as 15 had been stolen, but several returned to the pen from a wooded area nearby.
A pregnant pig that is expected to give birth in the next month also was stabbed. She sustained a gash about 10 inches long and 3 inches deep, running from her back to her belly, Winn said.
Two of Big Pig's wounds were about 2 inches deep, and one stretched 7 inches or 8 inches long, Winn said.
Late Sunday morning, he was lying in the center of his pen with his eyes closed.
"He's not eating right now," said Winn, 18. "For a pig not to eat, it's a pretty big thing."
Big Pig's veterinarian wasn't able to make it out Sunday, but told the Winns the pig likely would survive. The vet offered tips about how to apply medicine to his cuts and keep them disinfected.
"The vet said a pig's immune system is pretty tough, because they're used to being in the mud and eating all kinds of things," Winn said.
Hillsborough County deputies are investigating the incident as a possible burglary and as cruelty to animals, sheriff's office spokesman J.D. Callaway said.
Deputies had no leads on suspects as of Sunday afternoon.
They did, however, lift prints from the scene, said Cynthia Newman, who co-owns the farm with Winn's family.
Those at Sun City Stables, 4430 U.S. 41 S., pieced together several clues about what happened:
The attacker pulled out the front gate and drove up to the petting zoo, Winn said. Based on the tire tracks left outside the pigpen, a vehicle likely got stuck briefly in the loose sand, she said.
"It wasn't much of a hunt," she said. "They came down to a stable and went into a pen with pigs that were trapped." References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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