On Midsummer Eve, it was discovered that the two piglets at the 4H farm in Växjö were not in their paddock.
After a search operation, one of the eight-week-old pigs was found so badly injured that it died – the other gilt is still missing.
– Our hypothesis is that one pig was stolen and the dead one was beaten, which is absolutely terrible, says Majja Almqvist Reiger, pig owner.
The eight-week-old gilts had been loaned from Rinkaby farm to Teleborg’s 4H farm in Växjö. There they would spend the summer teaching children about animal husbandry and helping them develop an empathy for animals.
But on Midsummer’s Eve, the lending of the animals came to an abrupt end.
– It was discovered that the pigs were not in their paddock, so we started looking. We found the first pig fairly quickly and drove it to its owner, but it died before we could get a vet there. The other pig is still missing, says Sofia Lindwall Ek, regional consultant, Kronoberg’s 4H.
“Completely slack and hanging in the arms”
Majja Almqvist Reiger owns the affected pigs and tells us that she quickly got to the 4H farm in midsummer to participate in the aid effort.
– They called from the farm on Midsummer Eve and told them that one pig was gone and that the other was outside the fence and was in very bad condition, she says and continues:
– When we wore it, it was completely limp and hung in our arms.
The incident has been reported to the police and the dead pig will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death. According to Almqvist Reiger, it seems that someone stole one pig and beat the other so badly that it died.
– These pigs are domestic pigs, but not guinea pigs. They are incredibly strong and fast and scream very loudly – so you don’t put on a leash and trudge away with them. So that means they probably didn’t leave the pasture voluntarily, she says and concludes:
– Our hypothesis is that one pig was stolen and the dead one was beaten, which is absolutely terrible. They affect so many people around the pigs – especially all the children.