Last Wednesday, a routine transport run turned into a barnyard chase near Jacksonville when a pig bolted from a trailer and tore through a neighborhood, all while a deputy’s body camera captured the surprisingly orderly pursuit. The video shows deputies on foot closing in on the curly-tailed runaway and steering it back toward the waiting trailer.
Bodycam captures the pursuit
The bodycam clip, later picked up by national outlets, shows deputies repeatedly cutting off the pig’s escape route and carefully maneuvering around it to guide the animal back into place, according to CBS News Miami. In the recording, officers can be heard talking to the pig as they close in, turning what could have been chaos into a low-drama containment operation. The CBS segment runs the full bodycam clip so viewers can watch the slow-motion chase and final roundup unfold.
Sheriff's office posted the clip
According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the footage was first shared on the agency’s social media accounts before being distributed by Storyful and then picked up by Yahoo. Yahoo places the escape on July 8, identified as last Wednesday, and includes audio from deputies at the scene. After the pig is finally returned to the trailer, one officer can be heard saying, “That’s a first,” Yahoo/Storyful reports. The outlet notes that Clay County officials are credited for the video and for posting it publicly, which helped the clip spread far beyond local channels.
Why wild hogs turn up in neighborhoods
Feral and wild hogs are common across Florida and are known to cause significant ecological and agricultural damage by rooting and trampling sensitive habitats, a problem documented by researchers at the University of Florida. UF/IFAS studies describe how hog rooting disrupts soil structure and alters plant communities, which helps explain why these animals sometimes turn up in both suburban and rural neighborhoods. University of Florida IFAS.
The bodycam clip ends with the pig safely loaded back onto its trailer, and no visible injuries are shown in the footage. Officials advise residents not to approach loose hogs and instead to contact local animal control or the sheriff’s office for help. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also warns that feral swine can carry diseases such as pseudorabies and swine brucellosis, and it recommends using caution when handling or processing wild hogs. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
