UPDATE | Reggie, the porcine celebrity who frequented the shoulder of SH16 for over a week, slowing commuter traffic to a crawl and generally making a nuisance of himself, is heading south to “cow country”.
He is off to a sanctuary in Taranaki where he will join five other “piggies” including Gabe, an equally adventurous porcine rescued from Cyclone Gabrielle, where he will live out his life and maybe even form a “bromance”!
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The “roaming pig of SH16”, who had avoided capture for the last couple of weeks, has finally succumbed to the lure of food and walked into a specially laid trap. It is now being looked after at the Henderson Animal Shelter.
“We’re delighted to have caught this animal. It’s eluded everyone for some time but it’s satisfying to know it is safely contained and no longer a danger to motorists on the busy State Highway 16," says Auckland Council Animal Management Officer Clarke Trethowen.
This afternoon at 3.15pm the council’s Animal Management team received a priority call from police to say the pig had been caught. The camera set up by Waka Kotahi to monitor the area the pig had been seen frequenting, alerted officers it was trapped.
Two officers were immediately dispatched, with one officer heading directly to scene and the other to collect the stock trailer.
On arrival the AMO confirmed the pig was safely contained in the trap, and with help of Waka Kotahi and Police, was able to load it onto trailer without incident and it was safely transported to the Henderson Animal Shelter.
The pig will remain a guest at the shelter until it is claimed; if the owners does not claim it, Auckland Council will begin the rehoming/adoption process.
