Wisconsin deputies and a runaway pig clashed in the Town of Wayne when a 7:32 a.m. hoof pursuit ended with deputies lassoing the animal and using a construction shovel for the final rescue. The farmer and law enforcement staged a livestock roundup that left onlookers amused. “After a brief hoof pursuit…one deputy lassoed the suspect like a county fair champion,” the sheriff’s office said.

No ordinary livestock roundup, the pig’s escape included a dramatic ditch dive and “strategic negotiations” involving deputies, a farmer, and heavy machinery. The Washington County Sheriff's Office called the operation a true test of “county fair champion” skills, ending with the pig’s safe return home and a secure pen—plus a warning to “keyboard warriors.”

The pig took a spontaneous swim in a roadside ditch before being lassoed and hoisted by shovel.