A Dunedin woman feared for her life after her daughter's pet pig knocked her down and then apparently tried to eat her.
The attack occurred last month at Wanaka, and although the wounds have healed, Vivienne Christie, a retired schoolteacher, will never trust pigs again.
"It was trying to eat me. In
my heart, I think it would have killed me if I hadn't got out."
Mrs Christie was staying in Wanaka with her daughter and son-in-law, and was baby-sitting her granddaughter, Riley.
She had stepped into the pig pen to refill the water trough when the pig, a 2-year-old, 100kg kune kune called Quincy, charged and knocked her over.
At first she was annoyed, but that feeling turned to fear when the pig started bunting and mauling her.
After a few exploratory nibbles, Quincy ripped a fist-sized chunk from Mrs Christie's right arm.
"Once she took a real bite she realised she was on to something quite tasty and was definitely keen to keep going."
During the attack Quincy became very aggressive, Mrs Christie said, and was nothing like the friendly pet pig she had fed numerous times.
Driven by concerns for the safety of baby Riley, who was outside the pen, Mrs Christie fought the pig off. She then alerted a neighbour, who called an ambulance.
Meanwhile, Mrs Christie's daughter, who was up skiing, had phoned in to check on the baby, only to learn her mother had been savaged by the family pig.
"It was like a bad joke," said the daughter, who did not wish to be named.
The daughter described Quincy as a well-fed, good-natured pig and was at a loss to explain the attack.
Quincy was put down by a vet.
Mrs Christie spent two nights in Clyde Hospital.
Dr Carol Hollebon, from the Aspiring Veterinary Clinic in Wanaka, said kune kune were generally placid but pigs could be territorial, like dogs.
- NZPA
