Betty the piglet finds new home after surviving as her family was shot dead by hunters
A five-month-old piglet has found safety at an animal sanctuary on the Shropshire border after her mum and siblings were shot by hunters believing them to be wild boar.
In December 2022, it became known that someone had abandoned a mother pig and her group of piglets in a woodland near Whitney-on-Wye in Herefordshire.
After a rumour circulated that they were wild boar, a group of people turned up with guns and quad bikes and sadly the mother pig and all but one of her babies were shot.
One piglet managed to escape and was found by a local resident, Ilisa, who managed to lead the piglet to safety before reaching out to Goodheart Farm Animal Sanctuary, which lies on the border between Shropshire and Worcestershire.
Ilisa said she felt they had to find the piglet help quickly in case it was hunted.
She said: “There wasn’t much time as too many people knew she was there. They heard about her in pubs up in the Radnor Hills and even as far as Builth Wells.”
In January, the piglet, which has been named Betty, was taken to her new home at Goodheart Farm Animal Sanctuary, which is home to more than 300 rescued animals including cows, sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys.
Goodheart’s project director Alison Hood said: “We’re proud to be part of such an inspiring rescue operation and want to thank Ilisa and her neighbours for all their efforts in saving Betty.
"We can’t imagine the fear this little piglet has experienced at just a few months old, but we’re happy in the knowledge that she can live out the rest of her life in safety at our sanctuary and become an ambassador for her species."
