Gibbys Vet Care

Hello! My name is Jade, I am 21 years old and live in Strathcona County. Late one night I was on Facebook when I had seen a shared post of a feral pig. The more I looked into it the more I knew I wanted to help. I was told that this pig had been loose for a year and was roaming a subdivision. I was out of town at the time but right away I knew what my plan for tomorrow would be. Monday rolled along and me and my 17 year old brother hooked up the trailer to head to Gibbons.

Now the real story begins.. after blowing a trailer tire (and not having a spare ) we arrived in Gibbons and were led to where this pig was seen last. Sure enough there he was! I brought some different foods and thought I would be able to lure him right into the trailer. Unfortunately Mr. Piggy had different plans. We ended up on the adventure of a lifetime following him KM’s around the different subdivisions. And boy was he FAST!

After over an hour of attempts to catch him we had him caught in a yard, this was our chance (or so we thought)! We tried every method in the book to catch this dude but he was scared and wasn’t too keen on getting near us. By this time we had accumulated an Animal control officer, a peace officer and 8 lovely people all trying to get this piggy to safety. We had a plan to use a chunk of wire fencing to get him contained along the yards fence and then transfer him into the trailer. As we approached I remember saying out loud “this is it! I can feel it!” Keep in mind we had been RUNNING with this pig for well over 2.5 hours now. We approached him and he pulled out a new trick… squeezing his body right underneath the fence and out of the yard..

I feel like the entire mood dropped seeing him get loose again. We were all so set on helping get him to safety and now it felt like our only chance was gone. My brother Gage looked at me and yelled “what’s the plan Jadeo” meanwhile I was running down the road after this pig yet again I yelled back to him that I was gonna try and get him in another yard. So while I chased after our piggy friend he jumped in the truck to get the trailer following us.

I spotted an open yard to our right and just hoped and prayed this little pig would give us one more shot and take the turn. He almost passed the driveway when a man who had been helping us, cut him off with his truck (funny enough he is actually the owner of the yard we were aiming for!). This forced the pig to head into the only open section through the gate and into the yard!

We closed the gate behind him and made sure this fence was a bit more “pig proofed”. Our group was able to herd the pig into a smaller fenced area inside the yard. My brother backed the trailer right up to this secondary fenced area and after a bit more chaos we were able to herd the pig up into the trailer.

I wish I could share the sense of relief that was released the second we closed the trailer doors. Here we were 10 strangers who had just spent 4 hours on a Monday coming together to save this pig. It was so amazing. I owe everyone the world’s biggest thank you.

After saying goodbye to everyone we got this pig to our acreage in strathcona county. we decided to call our new friend “Gibby” as a tribute to everyone in Gibbons! Gibby is currently staying in a stall in a barn settling in. He is understandably very nervous but I think he knows he’s safe with me. Pigs are incredibly emotional and intelligent animals and we don’t know what all he’s been through. So far I have found that he thoroughly enjoys Honey Nut Cheerios and I think that will be the way to his heart ♥️

We are unsure of Gibbys full story but we were told a year ago him and 2 other pigs escaped and after failed attempts to catch them they were left to fend for themselves. After months on their own Gibby ended up being the only one seen. I’m not sure what happened to his companions but with Alberta’s harsh winters and plethora of predators I can only imagine they were a victim of nature.. With Gibby caught he will never have to worry about this again.

Gibby will be needed some veterinary care in order to get him in tip top shape.

His feet are so long they are curled up and inches longer than they should be. Due to his wariness we think the least stressful way to get him trimmed up will be under anesthesia. While he is under we will be neutering him and getting a complete health exam done. His tusks/teeth may need work and he will need deworming and any recommended vaccines. Just for a neuter we were quoted 500$ and the nearest Pig vet we found was an hour away. Gibby will get any needed medical care no matter what but I had another lovely resident from Gibbons suggest that I put up a page for donations. Any money donated will go directly towards Gibby and I can provide receipts once his care is completed!

thank you to each and every one of you for all of your help. I couldn’t have done it without you. Gibby is safe with me and will have a forever home where he will be spoiled rotten! I will keep posting updates on Gibby as they come and as he comes out of his shell. Thank you again

Sincerely,

Jade and Gibby