A traumatised piglet which was rescued by Surrey Docks Farm after pranksters left it outside 10 Downing Street has been offered a new home.
As reported first on our website, the eight-week-old potbelly pig was left outside the Prime Minister’s residence by YouTube jokers Trollstation as “a delivery for David Cameron.”
Officers took the terrified piglet to Charing Cross police station, where they gave it a pear, some water and hi-vis jackets to snuggle up in, before calling the farm to ask for help.
The prank took place just days after it was alleged that Britain’s leader had put a “private part of his anatomy” into a dead pig’s mouth as part of a university initiation stunt.
In the video, two fake delivery men are shown arriving at the gates of 10 Downing Street and approaching the security team.
“We’ve got a delivery for David Cameron,” said one of the men. “It’s from the Bullingdon Club. They said if he can’t keep a secret, he’s no longer in the club.”
They then take the clearly distressed and squealing pig out of its cage, telling it “come on, you’re going to your daddy.”
The video has been watched over 275,000 times since it was posted online last week but has been criticised by farm staff as animal cruelty.
After taking in the pig last week, Claire Elson, livestock manager at Surrey Docks Farm, told the News: “They’ve not thought about how this is going to affect the poor little piglet. This is its first experience of the outside world and it has been dragged over Downing Street and into Charing Cross police station.
“Piglets are normally so friendly and curious, but it is so stressed after its first real contact with people.”
But thankfully there was yet another twist in the tail.
After the farm appealed to News readers for help, an anonymous person came forward and offered to take in and care for the pig permanently – something the farm was unable to do due to its status as a working farm and the animal’s unknown background.
A delighted Claire said: “The person who has come forward has experience and will be able to offer a good home. The pig will be staying with us for just a bit longer, as we’ve had to keep him in quarantine for 21 days due to the risk of infection.
“However he is doing great now. It’s still a bit wary, but it’s getting used to people. It has even starting to waggle its tail when it sees me.”