INDIANAPOLIS — A potbelly pig has been captured safely from Holliday Park after capturing Hoosiers' attention on social media over the weekend.
"Thursday afternoon, we started receiving phone calls here at the Nature Center," said Allie Combs, the park's manager. "And people stopping in, letting us know that there was a pig."
Combs has dealt with abandoned dogs and cats at the park, but this was the first time she has seen a pig running amok.
"I originally thought she said dog," Combs recalled of the moment she first heard about the pig.
The park called Animal Care Services to help catch the pig.
"They sent out some staff on Thursday and Friday," Combs shared. "They weren't having much luck."
From there, other volunteers and organizations stepped in to try to catch the pig, including Oinking Acres, a farm rescue in Brownsburg.
Photos of the pig, still uncaptured, circulated on social media this weekend.
Combs noticed an uptick in park visitors over the weekend.
"Definitely an increase for the pig," Combs said. "Whether they wanted to help the pig, or just wanted to see it."
Oinking Acres urged the public to stop feeding the pig, as they were attempting to lure it into traps using food.
"They were putting oatmeal pies and Twinkies," recalled Combs.
The pig frolicked around the park and even spent some time cooling down in the splash pad.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, volunteers from Oinking Acres caught the pig.
I got a chance to see Doc Holliday (his new name), at the Brownsburg farm, on Monday.
The farm is filled with all sorts of rescued animals, not just pigs. Doc Holliday is currently in a smaller fenced-in part of the pasture while he quarantines.
Eventually, he will be introduced to the other farm animals.
Olivia Head founded Oinking Acres when she was just 14.
"Oinking Acres was established in 2017," Head told WRV. "I saw a huge need in our community for a safe place for pigs and other farm animals to find refuge."
Doc Holliday is joining a very large family.
"Right now we have a little over 300 animals, with the majority of them being potbelly pigs," Head shared.
While Head says she's happy to help new animals in need, she has a message for pet owners.
"There are not enough homes and there are not enough resources for the pigs and sanctuaries everywhere," stated Head. "We're busting at the seams. We're struggling. So if you have a pet, do what you have to do to keep them."
While no one knows how Doc Holliday got to Holliday Park in the first place, animal rescues hope you'll consider other options before abandoning a pet, no matter the species.
"Most cases with abandoned animals, you're not going to see in the news," said Colleen LaFollette with Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
Doc Holliday got a lot of attention on social media, but animal rescue organizations handle cases like this every day with other species.
"We'd much rather you come to us and us deal with it that way, than having to have the community chase a pig in a public park," LaFollette said.
If you are struggling with an animal, LaFollette said to reach out for assistance.
"We've got a program called Indy CARES, and it is something that we'll work with you in order to try to see if you need food, do you need some vaccines, anything like that," LaFollette shared.
Before you get a pet, make sure you know what kind of care that species needs. This will help you decide if you can care for the pet appropriately.
In case this story has tickled your fancy for a pet pig, make sure you can have one in your neighborhood.
"Local ordinance doesn't allow pigs in Marion County," LaFollette shared. "You're actually not supposed to have pigs."
"Make sure that you're ready for a lifetime commitment," said Head. "They can live fifteen plus years."
Oinking Acres is open to the public on weekends, so visitors can view the animals without committing to owning a pet.
"Pigs are extremely intelligent. They're the third smartest animal in the animal kingdom, following dolphins and orangutans," Head shared. "We hope that everybody that comes to visit leaves with a new appreciation and respect for the pigs."
What's next for Doc Holliday? Once he has some medical appointments (including being neutered), he will be able to leave his quarantine pen and join the rest of the pigs. He will live out his life on the farm.
With the excitement of the pig's capture on social media, Oinking Acres has already raised over $1,000, which will be used to help with his medical expenses.
You can read more about Oinking Acres, including when you can visit the farm, here.
WRTV also met with Oinking Acres in April 2025 to talk about a potential rezoning project that could impact the farm. You can read that story here.
