The roaming pot-bellied pig was captured and put in a crate, for transport to Charlotte's animal shelter. (Michelle Parris photo)

A small pink-and-black pot-bellied pig wandered into the Twin Oaks neighborhood Thursday morning, where residents scrambled to corral it. Now, the pint-sized porker is Animal No. A1015904 in a cell at Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control in Charlotte, while a hunt is on for its owner. Will the owners come forward in time to save him?

The Twin Oaks neighborhood is off N.C. 115 on the Davidson-Cornelius line. Michelle Parris of Meadow Brook Lane said she and her neighbors spotted the animal early Thursday morning. At one point, a police officer was knocking on doors trying to find out if anyone in the neighborhood owned it.

Ms. Parris said the tiny animal weighed only about 14 lbs. She used dog and cat food to lure it into an pet carrier. “I could tell the pig was not cooperating, so I grabbed a crate and treats – cat food and dog biscuits,” she said.

“When she saw me coming up with the crate, she got pretty excited, her little tail was going. I just crouched down and turned at an angle, like I would with a dog, and started throwing treats into the back of the crate,” Ms. Parris said.

Eventually, the animal climbed in. She turned the animal over to CMPD’s Animal Care & Control because “I couldn’t handle it with my other animals.”

She posted fliers around town. The animal also is listed on CMPD’s lost pets website. Animal Control officials told Ms. Parris that someone must claim the piggy with 72 hours, which means a Monday deadline. After that, the pig could face a fate too terrible to talk about.

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS PIG?

For more information about the found pig,  call CMPD Animal Care & Control at  704-336-3786. Mention animal number A1015904.