Tango and Marguerite

Posted in July 2000

Back in May (2000) I got call after call from local folk who kept seeing 2 pot bellied pigs running along the road up in one of the "hollers". After several tries and a really magnificent case of poison ivy I managed to catch the female.

Repeated attempts to catch the boar were unsuccessful, even with the help of neighbors. And the poor fellow had 2 rings in his nose that were so painful for him, his nose torn and bloody where he had caught it on twigs or roots.

After I stopped seeing him I went from house to house asking if anyone had seen him. Eventually I found a man who claimed to have shot him with a 44 magnum in the head. I was quite certain that that was the end of that story.

Obviously pregnant, Ling the female quickly made friends here and settled in , making a special bond with Cookie (in back).

            Then after 2 months I started getting calls again about the boar being in people’s gardens. With little effort this time he was lured with food into a barn and caught. Poor little fellow had lost about 40 pounds and was near dead. The rings were gone from his nose but sores and ragged skin were apparent where he had gotten caught and had to rip free.

No sign of any gunshot, apparently that story was just for my "entertainment".

            Far too ill to go to the vet for neutering he was put into quarantine at my friend’s farm until we could get some weight on him. After about three weeks he was able to go in for his surgery today and is now convalescing here at the Refuge.

Tag, as we call him, is ready to become a full time resident here and get re-aquainted with his mate.

            Imagine his surprise when he meets his 2 lovely (if slightly pudgy) daughters Tango and Marguerite who are today 2 weeks old.

They are beautiful, they are brave (sort of), they are wet and wild, they are faster than a speeding train ! They are baby pigs adorable ..sweet..baby pigs.

Little Pigs take to water like hippos. It’s second nature to them to get wet and muddy.I am always sad to meet a housepig who shies away from water, he has missed so much!

 These two aren’t missing a thing!

Here they "promenade" in and around Jack, who can’t see them but certainly knows they are there.

They know little fear at this age and will soon be eating and running with the older pigs. 

Follow up notes: Tango and Marguerite were adopted by Juan and Bobby Messano in Jan of 2001. Marguerite had a birth defect in one foot. What we didn't know was she also had other birth defects and one claimed her life in May of 2001.