Pickles the pet pig provokes peculiar police pursuit

An escaped pet piglet has taken police on a surprisingly wild chase along several blocks in a Californian town, surprising them with his speed and strength.

Several people called police on Thursday afternoon (Friday morning AEST) to report the little swine running on and off the road in the small town of Sebastopol, in California's wine-filled Sonoma County.

But the Sebastopol Police Department said when officers got to Gravenstein Highway North to try to collect him, the piglet "proved to be very fast and strong for an animal of its size".

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"Officers, along with bystanders, helped chase the little pig multiple city blocks until it was finally cornered in a side yard on Soll Court, and taken into custody," police said.

"The pig, later identified as 'Pickles', was reunited with his mother at the scene."

In the end, it wasn't officers Whitehall and Thomas who stopped the hog in its tracks but local man referred to only as Michael W.

L Mattock Scarriot told local station KORK North Bay TV that she'd driven about two and a half hours north from Gilroy to pick up the pig, who was up for adoption.

When she stopped to clean up after Pickles had an "accident" in the car, the little piglet escaped, triggering the incident that quickly went viral.

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"I never thought that when I picked up Pickles he would become so famous," Scott posted on Facebook.

"Thank you again to the Sebastopol Police Department, and everyone who helped catch Pickles.  

"We are so in love with him. He is so spoiled with his own mud puddle, shady area, and five-star cuisine."