Residents of an Essex town were left baffled after spotting a pig roaming freely through the streets this morning (June 26). The huge pig has been spotted on various roads in Billericay today.
It is not yet known where the pig came from, but has been spotted in the roads of Rosebay Avenue, Allyssum Walk and opposite Celandine Close in the town. Pictures of the pig circulating social media show it walking between lanes of the road and into a parking area.
A video online of the pig shows it being unfazed by residents walking close by on their way to work and school this morning. The pig is seen wagging its tail as people pass it by. It is also unclear what specific breed the pig is, and whether it is wild.
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According to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, there are several confirmed breeding populations of wild boar in the UK, though none are recorded living in Essex. In England, they are established on the Kent/East Sussex border, in Dorset, in Devon and in Gloucestershire (Forest of Dean).
Animals from the latter site have crossed into Wales and become established in Monmouthshire. Wild boars have also been seen in many other UK counties, though without proof of reproduction. Few of these records appear on the map.
