The next -- and perhaps final -- chapter in the tale of the five little pigs that fell off a livestock truck into morning traffic on Interstate 540 will be written by the highest bidder at public auction.
Despite all the pig publicity, their owner has failed to claim them, Durham authorities said, so all five of the swine will sold at noon on May 27 at public auction, as state law requires.
That auction has captured the attention of a handful of livestock farmers and a slew of animal lovers from as far away as Florida and New York who say they are raising the cash to keep those pigs from turning into slabs of bacon.
Even an indie rock band that goes by the name of the Mountain Goats has gotten into the act to save the pigs from the breakfast table.
"They got a lot of national coverage and there are a lot of people who would like to help the pigs," said Shafonda Price, shelter manager for the Animal Protection Society of Durham.
Both Price and Durham Animal Control officer Lt. Melinda Hester have fielded calls from far and wide on the status of the five pigs that tumbled out of a truck on I-540 on a cold and rainy morning in March, shocking morning commuters who frantically called 911 to report falling pigs.
In the nearly six weeks since the pigs landed on the interstate, they have been pampered at the Durham shelter, where they have taken over the dog exercise pen, completely oblivious to the ruckus their future has caused.
"They've adjusted well," Price said of the pigs. "They have lots of freedom. They're living it up."
Price, who is more than a little smitten with the pigs, reports that they nestle themselves in beds of hay and enjoy playing with each other.
"They have personality. They have feelings. They're fun to watch." she said. Since they're arrival, she admitted, "We haven't been able to look at meat the same way."
Initially checked out by the state's chief veterinarian and now tended to by the shelter vet, the pigs are dining on a strict diet of "swine feed from a barn supply store," Price said. "No treats, no apples."
The menu is obviously agreeing with them. Price said the pigs, "all boys," have been growing steadily and will likely be 250 pounds by the time they are auctioned off. They could eventually top out at 400 pounds.
Given their size, these pigs can't go home with just anyone as a backyard pet, Price said. They need room to root and roam, she said. "They're going to be hogs one day."
As soon as the pigs' story hit the news, the phone calls and emails started flying among the nationwide animal rescue community.
One such call went from Mountain Goats singer-songwriter John Darnielle, who lives in Durham, to the Farm Sanctuary in New York, where rescued animals live on a 175-acre farm in the Finger Lakes region without fear of the butcher knife.
"He just couldn't bear the thought of these animals not having a happy ending," Farm Sanctuary spokesman Meredith Turner said.
Darnielle, who says he's always had a thing for pigs and cows, found news accounts of the I-540 pigs funny and endearing.
"I'm a big ole soft-hearted animal lover dude," said Darnielle, who has performed concerts for the Farm Sanctuary to benefit their menagerie of rescued animals, which includes a rooster named Clementine, a three-legged goat named Zoot and a host of cows, and, yes, pigs that have similar tales of falling out of transport trucks.
Animal-welfare groups in Florida and Ohio have also phoned in asking how they can help save the pigs in Durham from slaughter, Price said. And a local group, Pig Pals of North Carolina, is also monitoring the pigs' fate.
Pig Pals executive director Penny S. Jeffrey confirmed via email that fund-raising efforts were underway.
But Jeffrey said she didn't want to draw attention to the auction "for fear that it will bring people to the auction wanting to purchase the pigs for consumption."
While Price and Hester have taken calls from enterprising farmers with an eye on fattening the pigs up for market, Price said she's hopeful there will be no bidding wars and that the pigs will get their happy ending.
"We're hoping they end up in very, very good homes," she said.
