New Plymouth Police have been given the run-around by an unexpected escape-artist -- a pig.
Police first heard about the little brown pig on Tuesday afternoon when it was seen trotting along Carrington Street , The Taranaki Daily News reported.
Several hours later Senior Constable Phil Oppenheim tried to catch the pig when it was seen across town on Cutfield Road.
"You really need a few guys to catch it. It was a pretty fast little chap. He was dazzled in my headlights for a bit and I thought I had him but when I got out of the car he was off," Mr Oppenheim said.
He described the pig as long-haired, brown and about one-third the size of a fully-grown specimen.
New Plymouth District Council animal control officer Jim Aitken said noone had reported sightings of the pig yesterday but inquiries were continuing.
SPCA area manager Andrea Collins said a piglet matching the police description had been reported missing from a Huatoki Street address on Monday.
