‘Spunky’ pig who loved belly rubs dies after years of greeting visitors at NC museum
A “spunky” pig who brought joy to a North Carolina museum for more than a decade has died, officials said.
Auggie was just a piglet when he was rescued and brought to the Museum of Life and Science in 2009. In the years that followed, he enjoyed basking in the sun and “getting his snoot extra dirty” as he searched for treats, the Durham wildlife center wrote Monday in a blog post.
“While losing an animal is extremely difficult, we take comfort that his 12 years with us were filled with happy squeals and even happier memories,” the blog post said. “Auggie was a special one and he will be dearly missed by all.”
The museum reported Auggie’s death after it said his behavior started to change last week. A veterinarian came to the museum, and a CT scan revealed an inoperable mass inside the beloved pig’s gastrointestinal tract.
“Given the mass’ location, Auggie’s age, and his overall condition, we made the difficult decision to euthanize him at the hospital,” the Museum of Life and Science wrote in a Facebook post.
The museum’s campus — which is home to a science center and a butterfly conservatory — also has a zoo with black bears, wolves and other creatures, according to its website.
Auggie greeted visitors in the Farmyard, near alpacas and cattle. Over time, officials said his “spunky attitude and hilarious antics” won over museum visitors and staff.
“He was always faster to get to the tastier food than Miss Piggy, who he lived with,” Sherry Samuels, the museum’s animal care director, told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “He’s a big personality. Without him in our Farmyard, there will be a void there for sure.”
Auggie arrived at the museum when he was 3 months old. At the time, the 22-pound piglet was quarantined in the bear house — but stayed separate from some “much larger and more furry housemates,” officials said.
He was known for his love of watermelon, lazing in the pool and belly rubs, officials said.
“He was one who really seemed to like a good back scratch or belly rub,” Samuels said. “And if you got to the right space on his belly, he would just fall over and show his whole belly to you so you could just keep scratching him. (It) makes you feel involved in their life, needed, appreciated.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 11:09 AM.
