Pig on the run dashes straight to Whitianga beach and vanishes while swimming

Whitianga residents were surprised to find a pig on the run and heading straight for the beach this morning.

Deborah Kelsall said it had been an unusual sight.

She told the Waikato Herald she was driving along Centennial Drive about 8.30am when she spotted a “pig on a mission”.

Kelsall said she decided to follow the pig as it wandered down the road and “dodged cars like a pro”.

She saw cars swerving left and right to avoid hitting the black pig, when it suddenly made a “beeline for the water” at Brophy’s Beach.

A black pig was spotted on the run, and heading straight for a morning dip at a Whitianga beach today. Photo / Deborah Kelsall

She posted videos of the pig on a Whitianga community page, which received plenty of surprised reactions from other locals.

‘Relatively unusual’ but ‘completely natural behaviour’

SPCA scientific officer Jessica Walker told the Waikato Herald pigs were “capable swimmers and will happily enter the water”.

Walker said while it was “relatively unusual” for pigs to have access to open water or beaches, entering water when given the opportunity was “completely natural behaviour”.

There wasn’t a specific pig breed that enjoyed swimming more than others, but pigs enjoy “wallowing” the most, lying and rolling around in shallow waters.

“This behaviour helps them regulate their body temperature, as pigs cannot sweat to cool themselves down.”

SPCA has seen previous reports of pigs swimming in water, but incidents reported to the animal welfare agency were “infrequent”.

‘Caught in the ongoing current’

Thames-Coromandel District Council said it was notified of the swimming pig, and staff attended the scene shortly afterwards.

“Unfortunately, this situation did not have a light‑hearted outcome. The pig entered the water and was caught in the outgoing current,” a council spokesperson said.

No further sightings have been reported.

If members of the public see an animal creating a potential hazard on council reserves or on roads, they should contact the council so the situation can be assessed.

If there is an immediate risk to public safety, people should call 111.

However, this wasn’t the first time residents of the town have witnessed a pig enjoying a morning dip. In 2021, two locals spotted a black pig swimming through Whitianga Harbour.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.