About two weeks ago, Pablo the pig was happily snorting about his Gundaroo home, following his human, Alana Aunela and playing with his best friend, Peanut the cow.
A friendly fellow, Pablo spent his days wandering around the house yard, occasionally visiting neighbours but always coming home in time for dinner.
But on 1 June he didn’t come home and Alana, along with her family and Peanut the cow, are desperate to find him.
“It’s heartbreaking that he’s gone missing,” Alana said. “What makes it worse is that the cow is really missing him and is getting more depressed as each day goes by without him.
“We’ve been calling out for Pablo daily in the hopes he will be returned home and yes, our cow is calling for him too. They grew up together.
“We’ve had Pablo since he was six weeks old – now he’s 18 months.”
She fears Pablo may have wandered out to the front of the property in search of a lady friend and been taken because he is so trusting of humans.
When he went missing, Alana searched everywhere and spoke to neighbours, thinking he had just wandered off. Being on a property on the outskirts of the village of Gundaroo, there are wild pigs about, but “Pablo usually avoided them” she said.
“We checked on social media just after he went missing and saw someone had put up a post of him but it was removed really quickly.
“Maybe someone found him and kept him but it’s hard to know. Our cow was calling out towards the road that day; we wonder if someone found him out the front and took him.
“We just want him back,” she said. “He’s part of our family.
“Even if they drop him back where they found him, or just tell us where he is. He’s our baby.”
Alana, who runs the animal nursery section at the Royal Canberra Show, got Pablo as a poddy to be part of the nursery.
“He took a while to warm up to humans when we got him, but now he’d follow you anywhere.
“Pigs are also incredibly smart. They’re similar to humans in that way.”
Pablo is described as beige and cream with brown markings, is very affectionate and responds to his name. He is also known to never knock back a belly rub.
A reward has been offered for Pablo’s safe return.
Anyone with information is asked to call 0491 124 435.