Conservation officials in Iowa say they have captured Gary the potbellied pig, who had been on the lam since his summertime escape.
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Dubuque County Conservation Board officials said the 50-pound Vietnamese potbellied pig apparently gave his unknown human owners the slip during a walk in Dubuque's Heritage Trail area during the late summer and had been living off vegetation in the area ever since, the Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported Friday.
"We asked people not to feed the pig and that didn't work very well, so there was no reason for it to go in a box trap (where the menu included Taco John's Potato Oles)," said Brian Preston, conservation board executive director.
Preston said Gary was finally caught Wednesday by board staffers Doug Fitzpatrick and Del Bischoff, who shined a spotlight on the sleeping pig and grabbed him while he was stunned.
"It was kind of an ambush," Preston said. "They said Gary squealed a lot, but he's doing well. He's pretty friendly."
He said the pig was adopted by an area woman who asked to remain anonymous.