A piglet saved from a potentially much unkinder fate is now living out the story of Babe after being taken in by a compassionate great-grandmother who owns an animal sanctuary in England.
Retired veterinary nurse Carole Webb rescued the tiny fellow, dubbed Tom, after he was discovered on the side of the road in March at just 1 day old. It’s unclear how he came to be there, but Webb theorized that a sow may have given birth while being transported, and the piglet fell from the trailer. The person who found him kept him safe overnight before handing him over to her.
Tom, who was about the size of a kitten at the time, was hand-reared indoors with hot water bottles and heat pads. Six months later, he’s grown into a pampered pig roaming a three-acre field at the Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Stratford-upon-Avon.
“Tom is really just like a real-life Babe,” Webb, 82, told SWNS, adding: “He’s really friendly with the chickens, he’s got a lot of chicken and cat friends — really anything that goes in to see him is his friend.”
She said he acts more like a pet dog now than a typical pig, following the farm’s humans around and even coming when he’s called by name. He also has his own stuffed animals, loves to play, and enjoys his treats.
“He plays around you and loves being near you. He’s got a big fluffy toy pig, and what he likes to do is lay over it,” she noted. “He loves his belly rubs, too — he’s just the friendliest little pig you could meet.”
Named after Lord of the Rings character Tom Bombadil, Tom now weighs around 330-450 pounds, a big jump from the tiny piglet that could once fit in the palm of Webb’s hand.
“He’s a bit boisterous so we don’t mix him with the sheep, but he’s got the run of one of the field,” said Webb. She noted that the sanctuary is home to about 350 animals, including sheep, cats, chickens, and one other pig. “We also feed the pigeons that are free-flying, and we’ve got an aviary that we put them in until they’re well,” she added. “We’ve got quite a collection.”
The sanctuary is currently raising money to buy new land so it can continue caring for its animals. Donate here.
This article was originally written by Adam Dutton for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
RELATED: Pigpen Conflict Resolution: Study Highlights How the Animals Handle Aggression
Share to:
