Lonely 'Piggy' in zoo cell cries for help

By Maria Endah Hulupi

JAKARTA (JP): Only those who have emotional attachment to their pets and consider them as part of their family could understand the feeling of loss suffered by Dyah Indriani, when she eventually decided to give up her 18-month-old pet pig, Piggy, to Ragunan Zoo, in South Jakarta on Jan. 15.

The black female wild boar, which is friendly to people, has now grown to 65 centimeters tall, 80 centimeters long, and weighs some 50 kilograms and has been accommodated in an isolated and dark horse stable at the zoo.

"The transfer wasn't an easy decision. I just can't see her suffer from the hostility of some of my dogs. It (the decision) was for her own good," Indri said, adding that the defenseless pig was usually left with several bite wounds after the dog attacks.

Indri got the gray yellowish piglet in August 1999 from one of her workers who found it in the forest in Garut, West Java. Piggy was then no bigger than a chick.

"I was excited to keep the boar as a pet. It was very friendly and could adapt itself to humans, just like dogs," Indri said.

Piggy was raised by one of her dogs, a terrier-chow named Brenda. After giving birth to her puppies, Brenda also suckled little Piggy when her puppies were asleep.

The female wild boar, who occupied her front garden, was quite well-known in the neighborhood. Elementary schoolchildren passing by called her, "Piggy ..., Piggy ..." while on their way home from school and a local vegetable vendor, named Nait, loved to feed her fresh tomatoes and sweet potatoes in the afternoon.

"I remember the day we transferred Piggy to the zoo. Pak Nait brought her a sack full of sweet potatoes as a farewell gift," Indri recounted.

Like dogs, Piggy also seems to have emotions. She would suddenly sit with her ears up and her hair would stand up; a common reaction when she felt intimidated. Or she would shove her nozzle on her owner's leg every time she got jealous seeing Indri playing with the dogs.

Now that Piggy has been transferred to the zoo, Indri realizes the animal will not receive the same kind of treatment she and many people in the neighborhood gave her.

Piggy seems depressed in the quiet, dark horse stable. The zoo has been feeding her with its own boar food. She misses her favorite sweet potatoes and tomatoes, which are considered a luxury at the zoo.

An official at the zoo, Marno, said Piggy injured her nozzle in an attempt to escape through a little hole in the back wall of the horse stable.

"Poor little thing, I can only hope that there are pet lovers out there who will take her out and make her happy," Indri said sadly.