This little piggy went to Hope Island and started a wild hog chase

RESIDENTS at a Hope Island complex thought the story of a wild pig floating past their complex was a bit of a porky at first.

Hope Island resident John Cowan rescued this feral pig that was on the loose in his estate.

PIGS might not fly but they sure can float.

Residents at a Hope Island complex thought the story of a wild pig floating past their complex was a bit of a porky at first.

But soon they discovered it was far from a curly tale with this little guy proving hot to trot, running through several backyards after he was fished out of the canal.

The "wild hog chase" took them through several properties, even across a covered pool, until finally John Cowan was able to corner the frightened creature in his backyard.

"The little guy ran through several backyards and at one point we thought he was running on water, but it was just a pool cover," he said.

"He was saved from the canal and from the pool, but kept getting away, I finally got him in my yard and popped him in a little enclosure with food and water."

Hope Island resident John Cowan and his grandson Rhys with the pig John rescued.

Mr Cowan said it was quite a shock for locals in the gated community.

"In the beginning we all thought it was a hoax when we heard word of a baby pig on the loose in the complex, but next thing we knew we were all trying to catch him," he said.

"I have had the little guy a couple of days now, while we try to work out what to do with him.

"My grandson thinks he is the best thing he's seen and my son lives on a property so they might take him.

"But we are also calling around to different organisations to see what is recommended we do - we don't know where he came from and he isn't very tame."

Mr Cowan said he had called the Gold Coast City Council and was told there was nothing they could do to help.

But Community and Cultural Development Committee chairman Bob La Castra said animal management would remove the piglet - if it was on private property and able to be captured.

"It would be taken to the pound and assessed for rehoming, but if it is deemed a wild pig, which is a pest, it would not be rehabilitated," he said.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital vet Michael Pyne said he suspected the pig had probably escaped from a hobby farm.

"I would imagine the little guy would have come from a hobby farm or similar, I'm not aware of a problem with feral pigs on the Coast, but that doesn't mean there isn't one," he said.