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200-pound pot-bellied pig — named ‘Pumba’ — escapes NJ farm. See cops chase him down

It took two officers to chase down a 200-pound pot-bellied pig — named ‘Pumba’ — after he escaped from a New Jersey farm.
It took two officers to chase down a 200-pound pot-bellied pig — named ‘Pumba’ — after he escaped from a New Jersey farm. Washington Township Police Department (Gloucester County) New Jersey

It took two officers to wrangle a 200-pound pot-bellied pig after it escaped from a New Jersey farm and waddled through town, photos show.

Officers with the Washington Township Police Department in Gloucester County chased, tackled and tied up the runaway pig in the “quiet, serene neighborhood of Heatherwood” on Friday, May 3, the department said on Facebook.

It took two officers to wrangle a 200-pound pot-bellied pig after it escaped from a New Jersey farm.
It took two officers to wrangle a 200-pound pot-bellied pig after it escaped from a New Jersey farm. Washington Township Police Department (Gloucester County) New Jersey

Officials posted photos of the “200 lb big beauty” asking the pig’s owner to claim him — joking that if they didn’t, he’d become the department’s next K-9.

The post made its way to the pig’s owner, who didn’t believe it at first, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

“My neighbor told me, ‘Your pig’s on Facebook.’ I said, ‘The pig ain’t on Facebook, I was just out there a half hour ago, and the pig was in the yard,’” the pig’s owner, Jay, told the outlet. But then he looked online. “I saw it and said, man, that’s my pig!”

Jay’s 2-year-old grandson lives next door, and must not have closed the gate properly, so Pumba the pig escaped, the outlet reported.

Photos show the officers tying Pumba up in the grass and later attempting to lift the hefty pig up onto a small trailer parked on a neighborhood street.

Officers attempt to lift the hefty pig onto a small trailer parked on a neighborhood street.
Officers attempt to lift the hefty pig onto a small trailer parked on a neighborhood street. Washington Township Police Department (Gloucester County) New Jersey

“PUMBA the 200 Lb potbelly pig has been safely returned to his farm,” the department said on Facebook. “Apparently a small child left the pasture gate open.”

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This story was originally published May 6, 2024 at 5:39 PM with the headline "200-pound pot-bellied pig — named ‘Pumba’ — escapes NJ farm. See cops chase him down."

Brooke Baitinger
McClatchy DC
Brooke Baitinger is a former journalist for McClatchyDC.
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