Pig injured after being bitten by dog in Tauranga

A Welcome Bay resident says this mixed-breed male pig was attacked by a dog in Johnson Reserve on April 23.

A Tauranga teenager says he and his friend spent an “exhausting 20 minutes” dragging a hunting dog off the throat of a squealing male pig roaming in Johnson Reserve.

It’s the latest in a series of reported incidents and complaints involving roaming pigs in the public Welcome Bay reserve, including two hunting dogs harassing a “friendly” pig and a family of pigs being removed after invading neighbours’ backyards.

The mother of the teen, who spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times on the condition she and her son were not named, says he and his friend had been fishing on April 23 and were walking home through the reserve between 6pm and 6.30pm when they heard “loud squealing” coming from a bush area.

Her son says a search soon revealed a man with two hunting dogs – one on a lead, and the other with its teeth tight around the black pig’s throat.

He says the dog’s owner asked for help to pry his dog off the pig.

“It took an exhausting 20 minutes” to do so and then the pig ran off.

He doens't know what injuries the pig suffered and believes it's mixed-breed.

The mother says her son can't say whether the dog attack on the pig appeared deliberate or accidental.

She says she reported the incident to the Tauranga City Council.

She says her husband has been helping the council’s animal control staff try to capture the pig and almost had it a few days ago, but understandably it's a “lot more skittish” since the attack.

She says their concerns are for the pig’s welfare and the safety of locals encountering the pig while walking through the reserve with their dogs.

“We don’t know whether the pig has tusks underneath its fur or has serious injuries, but if it gets scared anything could happen,” the mother says.

A Welcome Bay resident says this mixed-breed male pig was attacked by a dog in Johnson Reserve on April 23.

The dog-friendly 14.5ha reserve has large open spaces, bush tracks, a small waterfall and wetlands, and borders residential areas.

Selwyn Ridge School is nearby but principal Craig Price says he has not heard about any sightings or encounters with the pig by school staff or students.

For safety reasons, the primary school has asked students and staff to stay out of the reserve until it's caught.

‘We intend to capture it’

Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln confirms the council received a report on April 23 that two dogs had attacked a pig in Johnson Reserve, and it's believed this pig is associated with a large group of pigs that the council rehomed from the reserve last month.

“No one has claimed the pig and we intend to capture it and rehome it.

“Unfortunately encounters with dogs have made the pig more wary and while we have been able to get within a couple of metres of it, we have not been able to secure it yet.

“From our observations, there are no external injuries to the pig, but I’m sure it has suffered some internal bleeding.”

Tauranga City Council's animal services team leader Brent Lincoln. Photo / Alex Cairns.

Lincoln urges people to avoid the pig but, if possible, leave a small amount of food for it to eat and call the council.

“We are hoping that it will relax a little so that we can trap the animal and give it a new life on someone’s lifestyle block.”

Lincoln says every owner must ensure their dog cannot cause a nuisance or danger to any person or animal and a dog can be impounded and its owner fined up to $3000 or prosecuted for this offence under the Dog Control Act.

“In addition, an owner of a dog [who] deliberately sets their dog on to another animal such as a pig in these circumstances may also face penalties under the Animal Welfare Act.”

He says pigs are not allowed to be kept within the city boundary unless on land zoned rural and like all stock, the area in which they were kept must be fully fenced.

-The Country.

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