Rangers rescue the Coniston 8

Forget the Tale of Pigling Bland, or even the three little pigs who ran all the way home…National Trust Rangers in the Lake District have had eight times the fun trying to capture an octet of adventurous pigs in Coniston.
Lead Ranger John Atkinson had received numerous calls about pigs which were seen in a car park at Dodgson Wood – but they seemed to be causing much confusion. All the reported sightings involved four pigs, yet none of the people spotting them seemed to be able to give the same description of the animals.
It was several days before the pigs finally gave up the chase and it emerged that the entire group had never actually been seen altogether. John quickly realised they’d now be looking for a home for eight porkers, not just a quartet, but luckily, the team at Grizedale Arts has offered to give the runaways a temporary home at the charity’s hill farm at nearby Lawson Park.
The pigs have no tags or markings to identify their owners and it is feared that they were deliberately dumped in the car park. They aren’t in perfect health following their adventure, and are a little thin, but it is hoped that following some decent food, a warm dry bed and a visit from the vet, they will soon be back to full strength.
“We first heard reports of a black and white pig, just like Beatrix Potter’s Pigling Bland, on the loose around a week ago, then people said they had seen more”, said John. “It was odd, because witnesses kept saying there were four of them, but none of the descriptions added up. We think some of them must have been separated from the bigger group and got lost in the woods.
“They’ve been foraging around in the countryside, tucking into bluebells, wild garlic and probably some slugs and beetles, but eventually hunger got the better of them and they let us catch them. It’s taken a lot of patience and persuasion, particularly with the piglets as they were very cautious, but now we can make sure they’re properly looked after.
“We think they are a cross between a Saddleback and maybe something like a Tamworth or a wild boar, because they have really long snouts. None of them have been tagged so we have no way of tracing the owners. We’ve informed the RSPCA, police and Defra but we don’t think anyone will come forward to claim them because they will be in trouble for moving them without a licence.
“We’re getting a vet to check them over as a couple of them aren’t looking in the best of health, but we think they’ll all be fine once they’ve settled in at Grizedale Arts and had some decent food.”
The three male piglets, plus their two sisters, pair of older pals and the sow, are now living in the lap of luxury, with their own pig ark, copious amounts of pig nuts and panoramic views of the Coniston fells.
The only one who isn’t pleased to see the Coniston Eight is Grizedale Arts’ resident pedigree British Lop pig, Octavia. She’s named after Octavia Hill, the famed social reformer who was one of the founders of the National Trust.
Alistair Hudson of Grizedale Arts said: “Octavia is in her own field, looking over at them like they could do with some social reform!
“They seem to be happy now they’ve got plenty of pig nuts and some free range roots and shoots.  We haven’t got a long term plan, we just want to get them healthy again.”
For more pictures of our eight little pigs, visit the Coniston Rangers’ blog at www.countryside-catchup.blogspot.com or go to www.ntlakesoutdoors.org.uk where you will also find tips on enjoying the great outdoors - without the need to forage in the woods!