Funds roll in for Laois escape artist pig

AN UNUSUAL fundraiser for an escape artist Laois pig has passed the half-way mark after just one week.

After countless breakouts from his home in Ballinakill, the cheeky rescue called Arnold needs expensive steel railings to keep him safe.

The porcine Houdini has his own ‘secret garden’ but constantly escapes to the adjoining grounds, where a deep pond poses a major threat to his future.

After months of repairing broken fencing, owner Julie Anne Kelly finally decided to seek help to protect her audacious but adorable resident.

She said: “He is the most intelligent escape artist I have ever met. He can open a steel gate with his mouth, unlock the clasp and nudge the gate open with his snout.” 

The handsome hog is a treasured member of a large menagerie of rescued animals, which includes another pig called Bluebell, two peacocks, five hens, three roosters, three dogs, three cats and five fish.

With estimates for steel posts and railings running to an unaffordable €7,000, Julie set up a GoFundMe with a €3,000 target on 21 April, titled ‘Fencing to keep Arnold safe in his enclosure’.

Donations rolled in and exceeded the half-way mark by 28 April, when the fund reached €1,660.

Julie Anne explained on the fundraising page that mischievous Arnold came to live with her family last June, as his previous owner in Tallaght could no longer care for him. Unfortunately, he persistently escapes and they need more secure fencing as soon as possible.

Describing Arnold as ‘a very large rescue pig with a huge heart’ who loves to wander, Julie Anne said there is a high chance that he will go for a swim in the pond and need a crane to get him out.

She said: ‘Arnold has only ever known love from the day he arrived on the planet. He has a strong connection with people, despite his enormous size. He has won the hearts of people who have come to visit him.

‘We have a pond in the garden which I do not want him to fall into, as I don't have a way of getting him out and we live in a very scenic part of Laois with a lake just a few steps from the house.

‘We have fenced it lots of times and Arnold has taken down each and every one, so we need to get steel posts and railing to keep him safely in his own garden. The quotes coming in are way out of what I can afford at the moment, €7,000, but he does need to be kept safe. I'm asking if you have a few spare euro to donate to his fencing, I would be so grateful. I've raised money for animal charities for the last five years and realised that I have taken in 17 rescues myself over the years. I'm becoming the charity!’ 

Overwhelmed by the response to the fundraiser, Julie Anne said in an update: ‘We are incredibly grateful … Hopefully Arnold breaking out will no longer occur spontaneously but, when the gate is open, he is welcomed out to the wider garden to mow the lawns. They are great automatic lawn mowers!’