200-pound pig named Elvis rescued from hot van that owner says was stolen, WA cops say

Elvis the 200-pound pig and Lupa the husky were rescued from a hot van at a golf course parking lot in Washington last week but questions remain about what they were doing in the abandoned vehicle.

Officers responded to Veterans Memorial Golf Course in Walla Walla on March 4 after someone reported a suspicious vehicle with a distressed dog inside, a news release from the police department said.

When they arrived, officers found Lupa searching for a way out of an overheating van, the release said. While rescuing Lupa, officers noticed something moving in the back.

Officers found something rather unusual: a 200-pound pig, named Elvis Pigsley, laying in the back of the van.

“Officers immediately went to work formulating a plan to get the pig safely out of the hot van,” the release said.

They got Elvis out of the van and brought him to shade and water before a veterinarian arrived on scene. As the officers waited, the van’s owner showed up, claiming the vehicle had been stolen.

Against the owner’s wishes, the vet took both the animals to be examined to make sure they were healthy, police said.

While Elvis and Lupa are recovering at the Humane Society, officers are investigating the owner’s claim that the van was stolen, but they’re “finding inconsistencies in her statements about the van and the animals,” the release said.

Police have not yet determined whether the owner will be cited for leaving the animals in the van, according to the news release.

“The animal’s best interest will always come first.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 5:33 PM with the headline "200-pound pig named Elvis rescued from hot van that owner says was stolen, WA cops say."