NEBRASKA CITY – The Nebraska City City Council is rewriting its animal nuisance codes after a wild chase of a hog on ice.

Residents noticed the pot-bellied pig wandering in the area of Sixth Street and First Avenue in the night-time hours of Jan. 18. The temperature was 18 degrees and a wind was blowing at 16 mph.

They called police to report a pig running loose and officers Kent Crotty and Casey Fertig responded.

With the help of neighbors, despite a lot of slipping on ice, the officers corralled the beast.

 

Nebraska City’s city code was not specific about what to do with a pig at large, so they brought it to the Arbor Valley Animal Clinic, where dogs and cats are impounded.

City Attorney Drew Graham said the video of the chase, while entertaining, brings up the issue of animals at large that are not dogs and cats. Nebraska City has also seen a rise in chickens at large in recent years.

Graham: “A pig was captured here in town at large and taken out to the vet here. Randy and I were looking into this and realized there is a code section for animals at large, which lists out a whole slew of animals – cows, horses, pigs – but, unlike the dog and cat sections, there’s nothing addressing the impoundment of those animals.”

He said the owner of the pig was located and reunited with the animal.

The city council approved changes to the code so the city can charge residents impoundment fees for animals like pigs and chickens.