LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In May 2023, Rebecca Zajac and Lars Gradel were driving on the 215 when they saw a piglet tumble out of a transport truck, likely on his way to a fattening farm before slaughter.
PREVIOUS: Lucky the Pig: Happy ending for piglet who fell off truck on Las Vegas highway
“I didn’t think he could survive all those tumbles. It was pretty amazing, but when he tumbled onto the freeway, he just jumped up and started investigating. That’s when I jumped out of the car and snatched him up,” Gradel said.
They brought him to the All Friends Animal Sanctuary. That’s where FOX5 first met Lucky when he was just a few months old.
“Because of your initial newscast, someone reached out and wanted to sponsor him, so he gets a monthly check,” said Tara Pike, founder of All Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Now, Lucky is free to play in the mud and explore with his team.
“Lucky is definitely an escape artist. I mean, he escaped the truck, and he still escapes his pen. That’s definitely his curious personality,” said Zajac.
More than a year and 300 pounds later, the bond remains strong between Lucky and the humans who saved him.
“We were lucky to have him fall into our laps and that he lives around the corner from us. We just hang out with him, and it makes our day to see him happy, thriving, and giant,” said Zajac.
“It’s pretty sweet, it’s nice,” said Gradel. “I just hope he actually remembers us and knows who we are and appreciates that.”
“I think he does remember them. I think he remembers that they bring him treats every time they come,” Pike said, laughing.
Pike says Lucky alone eats 12 cups of pellets every day and is one of over 100 animals living at All Friends Animal Sanctuary.
If you’d like to donate or volunteer, click here.
Living in the Las Vegas heat, Pike says it also takes a lot of sunscreen to protect Lucky’s skin. If you have any expired or extra bottles of sunscreen, you can donate those to the sanctuary, too.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
