Piglet Found Running Around Hawaii Hotel Lobby: Hawaiian Humane Society Names Her Pukalani

HONOLULU — Guests at a hotel near Honolulu's airport found a suckling pig in the lobby, but it wasn't on the menu of the luau.

They called the Hawaiian Humane Society last week, when a 5-week-old female pig was found running around the lobby. It was unclear how the piglet ended up there.

Humane society spokeswoman Tasha Tanimoto says the pig is healthy and has been named Pukalani. She will be available for adoption once she's a little older. Tanimoto says the piglet is being bottle-fed by a volunteer.

Humane society officials aren't sure of the pig's breed, but a veterinarian suspects she will grow to be quite large.

Pukalani has been getting attention on the humane society's Facebook page, where a duck is also advertised for adoption.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/piglet-in-hotel-lobby_n_1328276.html

Bulldog adopts 6 wild boar piglets in Germany

By DAVID RISING | Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Forget the three little pigs hiding from the big bad wolf. These six little pigs have found a new friend in a maternal French bulldog named Baby.

 

The Lehnitz animal sanctuary outside Berlin said Baby took straight to the wild boar piglets when they were brought in Saturday, three days old and shivering from cold.

 

Sanctuary worker Norbert Damm said Wednesday that, as soon as the furry striped piglets were brought in, Baby ran over and started snuggling them and keeping them warm, even though they're almost her size.

The 8-year-old bulldog has stayed right by their side since then, making sure they're OK, Damm said.

"She thinks they're her own babies," Damm said.

 

It isn't the first time Baby's taken to new guests at the sanctuary — she's also raised raccoons, cats and many other animals, Damm said.

 

"She's an uber-mother," he said.

 

The piglets' own mother was likely killed by a hunter and the litter of three males and three females was found abandoned in a forest.

 

At the time they were found they weighed in at under a kilogram (two pounds) each but are being bottle-fed at the sanctuary and are growing well, Damm said.

 

He said they can't be released into the wild because they have no fear of humans, but it should be possible to set them free in a nature reserve in about three months, once they can feed themselves.

 

Wild boars are common in Germany, even in big cities, and herds have been growing as expanding commercial crops have provided them with more food.

 

Recent estimates have put the boar population at more than 10,000 in Berlin alone, where they live in extensive wooded areas and often venture into backyards and sports fields, tearing up turf to look for food.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/bulldog-adopts-6-wild-boar-piglets-germany-152926726.html;_ylt=AujGTQjwNysGXz6lB2Ucg7Sr9HQA;_ylu=X3oDMTQyMXBxc3N0BG1pdANTbGlkZXNob3cgTWV0YWRhdGEgUmVsYXRlZARwa2cDOWI0ZGQ2OWYtNjcyNi0zZDI1LTlhZWItZTQyZjI3OWVkNDg5BHBvcwMxBHNlYwNpbWdpbmZvBHZlcgM3NjkwYTU4Ni01N2Y2LTExZTEtOTlhMi03OGU3ZDFmYTU0Mjg-;_ylg=X3oDMTJxOHE5bjVqBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMzYyYzA1NjUtYmZmYS0zYjNlLWE2MTAtMDk5MTEzMTYzMDM2BHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc3MtZ2FsbGVyeQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3

 

Two snouts are better than one: Poor three-eyed pig that always hogs the trough

A piglet from Changtai County in southern China's Fujian Province has been born with three eyes and two mouths.


Xiao Jintu, owner of a local pig farm, said the piglet is one from a 12-strong litter. 'It came out 5th and I was stunned in seeing its appearance'.

The piglet has two symmetrical mouths and an extra eye in the center of its forehead.


Neighbours have been visiting the pig farm nonstop since the birth of the piglet and Mr Xiao says he plans to keep it as a pet.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073654/Two-snouts-better-Poor-eyed-pig-hogs-trough.html

Animal Activists Aflutter Over Real-Piglet Piggy Bank

Larry Knowles

AOL News
(Nov. 12) -- Hey, kids, how'd you like to have a piggy bank made from an actual pig?

Well, now you can, courtesy of Vancouver, British Columbia, novelty retailer TheCheeky.com, which is offering authentic taxidermied piglet piggy banks for sale on its site.

And if you start saving now you might be able to afford one by the time you head off to college: the banks run a cool $4,000 each, with buyers required to put half the money up front.

Animal activists are squealing mad over the piglet bank, a custom piggy bank made from a real stuffed piglet. The product, which costs $4,000, is being offered by TheCheeky.com, a Canadian novelty retailer.

It should be noted, though, that the steep price is because of high production costs. According to TheCheeky co-owner Colin Hart, it takes 12 months to fill an order. First, the company has to find a piglet that has died of natural causes. Then it must have the animal taxidermied, which takes about six months.

To date, the retailer hasn't actually sold a piglet bank, but Hart told AOL News that TheCheeky has received a huge amount of interest in the past week.

A large part of that interest stems from the outcry the bank created after it appeared in Vancouver magazine's 2010 Holiday gift guide published in early November. Animal activists quickly noticed and organized a call to action.

Two days ago, the Winnipeg Humane Society posted a message on its site titled "Speak Out Against Taxidermied Piggy Bank." The society called the piglet bank "a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body" and instructed activists to e-mail complaints to Vancouver magazine.

Representatives for the humane society could not be reached for comment.

TheCheeky received even greater publicity when CNN reported on the controversy in its breaking-news blog. The glut of attention, Hart says, has brought 50,000 hits per day to TheCheeky.

"It's an oxymoron," Hart stated. "It's a big deal with all these activists, and then we get all the publicity for our site."

Hart is quick to point out that no pigs have been, or will be, killed to make the piglet bank.

"For some reason, people think we're breeding pigs with slots in their backs," he said. "Either these people are kids, or they're really, really special adults."

The 34-year-old Dubliner, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, also supports efforts to eliminate animal cruelty. He just thinks that the activists targeting him have it wrong.

"It's important for people to back up animals, who can't speak," he agreed, "but we're not killing any animals."

He believes the real argument isn't about cruelty to animals, but about taxidermy and whether preserving animals for aesthetic appeal is ethical.

Before the piglet bank brouhaha, Hart and business partner Ryan McCormick had been excitedly plugging their latest creation, Glory Hole stickers. The stickers can be slapped on the walls of bathroom stalls to give the impression that the occupant is being watched.