Alas no more, poor Porrick, as villagers adopt abandoned pig

Locals in Shorncliffe, near Folkestone, Kent, took pity on the female pig they have named Porrick after she was left behind by her owner around four months ago.

Seeing the animal on her own in an overgrown field on Horn Street, residents built a makeshift shelter for her from tin, wood and tarpaulin beneath an ash tree.

And to keep her hunger at bay, they donate scraps of food, including potatoes, sprouts, swede and vegetable peelings, according to Trevor Boxell, whose son owns the land.

Mr Boxell said: “The owners had 40-odd pigs in the field but when they left to go elsewhere, they left this poor little one behind.

“People round here started to take an interest in her and built her a pigsty using tin, wood and tarpaulin. They come in their droves to see her and feed her.

“I’ve left the gate open for her several times but she never wants to leave. I would like to find her somewhere permanent to stay but she seems quite happy, wagging her tail in the field.”

Mr Boxell said local schoolchildren and Gurkha soldiers based at nearby Shorncliffe barracks often stop during their regular runs to point out the porker, believed to be a German micro pig.

He added: “She’s a real local attraction.”