Jeff and Crystal Findlay's pig miraculously survived the McDougall Creek wildfire.
Image Credit: Jeff and Crystal Findlay
August 26, 2023 - 6:00 AM
Poomba the miracle pig is still alive and well on a West Kelowna ranch that was evacuated ahead of the McDougall Creek Wildfire.
Poomba became a local icon for her miraculous survival story, when she was left behind during last week's evacuation. The fire left her home, The Broken Rail Ranch, in ruins.
At a news conference on Aug. 24, West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund reassured the public that Poomba the pig is still alive and well.
“I know the pig in the Bear Creek Road area has been getting a lot of attention,” Brolund said. “My fire crews have adopted him or her. He’s being well fed he’s well-watered, so he’s just as happy as a pig could be.”
Her owners Jeff and Crystal Findlay are among the countless West Kelowna residents who lost their home in the wildfire.
Although they were able to safely evacuate their staff, family and 32 of their pets and rescue animals, the pair were devastated when their two beloved pigs refused to leave.
“Pigs are incredibly strong and difficult animals to load,” Crystal told INFOnews.ca. “I left the gates open, hoping that things would be OK.”
Jeff recounted a time he had tried to move the pigs before. By attaching a rope to Poomba’s sister Wilbur, he had hoped to calmly lead her down to a new pen.
“I planted both of my heels,” he said. “And she dragged me for 30 feet before I let go of the rope.”
On Sunday Aug. 20, the couple were elated when pictures from firefighters revealed that Poomba — named after the cartoon warthog from The Lion King — had inexplicably survived.
The images showed Poomba on a small patch of unburnt land in the ranch’s lower paddock. She was photographed rooting in the grass and lying next to a Bobcat excavator.
Jeff and Crystal Findlay's pig miraculously survived the McDougall Creek wildfire.
Image Credit: Jeff and Crystal Findlay
“Poomba has made a little bit of a home around the Bobcat. Which is really strange because there are a couple of shelters left that she could be under," Jeff said. "All we can think is that maybe that's because she feels connected to us. That's the last thing up there that would smell like us.”
Since then, the miracle pig has been cared for by firefighters and a local pilot friend, who have been regularly delivering water and granola bars to her.
“One of our friends from Valhalla Helicopters, Blair Savage, flew his helicopter over and did an airdrop of granola bars to her so she could have something to eat,” Jeff said.
Jeff and Crystal told INFOnews.ca they are anxiously waiting to be allowed back onto their property to be reunited with their pig and to be able to take care of her.
More information about the ranch and Poomba can be found on their Instagram and Facebook pages.
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