This Awesome Woman Helped Rescue a Piglet Who Was Lost on a Highway During Peak Traffic

Humans have a habit of categorizing and compartmentalizing animals based on stereotypes and preconceived notions. Dogs are our cute and cuddly friends, sharks are blood-thirsty killers that make us hesitate swimming in the ocean, and pigs are dirty and dumb creatures that we keep out of sight and out of mind. But what happens when animals step out from these metaphorical boxes that we have put them in? What happens when an animal like a pig is not on the farm, but instead is seen somewhere much more familiar, like … a highway?

Well, Sharon Reinhardt-Kirnbauer, a woman from Maryland, was confronted with this very situation recently. During her usual commute to work, Sharon saw something out of the ordinary: a piglet … on the highway. While many people would have driven off without a second thought, Sharon was completely baffled by what she saw and pulled over on the side of the road to investigate further. Serendipitously, right as Sharon pulled over, a cop car was driving by. She flagged him down and explained what she had seen. Moments later, the baby pig appeared again, this time darted behind Sharon’s car and then trotted down the highway. Luckily for the piglet, the police officer was able to block off traffic with his car until a traffic control officer and one of the officer’s friends arrived with a blanket to catch the rowdy fella.

Eventually, Sharon and the police officer were able to corner the piglet and grab him with the blanket. He was a little roughed up from road rash, but all in all okay. Sharon was late to work but considering how excitedly she shared the story on her Facebook page, it seems like it was well worth it! 

Now, we can’t confirm whether or not Sharon knows how playful, intelligent, and affectionate pigs are, but we do know one thing: she was able to see past all of the stereotypes there are about pigs to save this little one. She knew that this pig was in danger and deserved to be saved just as much as a puppy in the same situation. Hopefully, this sweet story will make some people see pigs differently and realize that their lives are just as precious as that of any other animal.

Image source: Sharon Reinhardt-Kirnbauer/Facebook