The Pig, Angelica

by Sam Neill

The boy pig named Angelica

friendly and well adjusted

This little pig was a pet, owned by a small girl whose family has gone to live in the city.  Probably because it’s a pure bred kuni kuni , the pig is fully grown
(2 years) but still a manageable size. Unlike the notorious Polly and Peggy, who both blossomed into pigs the size of a state house each? Peggy and Polly now live close by on a couple of hundred of acres of hill country, and they take up most of that space between them.

Now, here’s the thing – he comes already named. Mysteriously, he is called Angelica. As named by his previous owner, the small girl in question. This is pretty baffling.

He does not seem to come with any gender confusion. (In some cultures we would be referring to a “girly – boy pig.”) It is possible, though, that the former owner liked to dress him in small frocks – we have witnessed this strange phenomenon with pet lambs and small caretakers.

It may be, however, he has dark Johnny Cash - type piggy thoughts…  

Well , I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My trotter got hard and my wits got keen
I’d roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I’d search the honky tonks and bars
and kill that man who gave me that awful name.

No. No. We are certain that Angelica has only kind thoughts about former owners.

A very well adjusted pig, who has taken up residence with the goats, from whom he stays rather aloof. Perhaps because they’ve never cross-dressed.

Updates:

23 March 2011 -- Angelica has become something of a breakout artist. See our blog post entitled Delinquent Pig.