Villagers saved the bacon of a five-month-old orphaned piglet which made a daring escape when her family were shot by hunters after being mistaken for wild boar.<br /><br />Betty the Tamworth Cross was able to flee unharmed when her mother and siblings were targeted by huntsmen after being abandoned in woodland. <br /><br />False rumours had spread throughout local towns that the dumped pigs were actually wild boar roaming the woods near Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire. <br /><br />Hunters on quadbikes descended on the area armed with guns before finding and sadly killing Betty's mother and all of her siblings in December. <br /><br />Incredibly, Betty somehow managed to escape with her life before she was found by local resident Ilisa Meadows who took her into her home. <br /><br />Betty quickly won the hearts of the rest of the village, who all rallied together to find her a safe new home as soon as possible. <br /><br />And last month, they were delighted when she was taken in by the owners of Goodheart Animal Sanctuary, near Kidderminster, Worcs.<br /><br />Betty has joined 300 other animals on the farm - including cows, sheep, goats and chickens - and is said to be settling in well following her brush with death. <br /><br />Ilisa said she felt compelled to help Betty as quickly as possible in case word got out she had survived and the hunters returned.<br /><br />She added: "There wasn’t much time as too many people knew she was there. <br /><br />"They heard about her in pubs up in the Radnor Hills and even as far as Builth Wells.<br /><br />“It was quite amazing how the whole village was behind the rescue plan and it brought us all closer together which is lovely.” <br /><br />Ilisa praised her fellow villagers for helping to save Betty after several attempted to prevent the needless death of the animals. <br /><br />One elderly resident even tried to stop the hunters from killing the mother pig and her piglets and was left 'traumatised' when they were shot in front of her.<br /><br />Ilisa cared for Betty from December until January this year, hand-feeding her apples and even managed to train her to run to her when she was called. <br /><br />The sanctuary said pigs are widely believed to have the same intelligence as a three-year-old child and can even grieve for one another and feel fear. <br /><br />After a period of quarantine, Betty will now be integrated with other rescued pigs, where she'll enjoy a spacious new home and the care and attention she needs.<br /><br />Goodheart’s project director Alison Hood said: “We’re proud to be part of such an inspiring rescue operation and want to thank Ilisa and her neighbours for all their efforts in saving Betty. <br /><br />"We can’t imagine the fear this little piglet has experienced at just a few months old.<br /><br />"But we’re happy in the knowledge that she can live out the rest of her life in safety at our sanctuary and become an ambassador for her species."
