Welgedacht resident finds daily Adventure with his unusual pet
Nel has had his unusual pet since she was six weeks old.
For Welgedacht resident Willem Nel, every day is a new adventure with his unusual pet, a European wild boar. This not-so-little piggy named Choppie has been the family pet since she was six weeks old.
“I had a female Jack Russel, Tika, who passed away when she got older last March. My wife asked me if I wanted a new dog, and I told her ‘no’.
“One day, we visited the farmers’ market in Sundra and met a guy whose wife had a biltong stall. He started talking to my daughter, and I overheard that he farmed wild boars and became interested.”
Later that afternoon, they went to the man’s farm, and he asked Nel if he wanted one.
“I was unsure but said, ‘Okay, let’s try’. So this is a whole new experience because I didn’t know anything about pigs.”
He describes Choppie’s personality as being stubborn and having a mind of her own.
“It took the longest time for her to learn her name, but I think she just chose not to come when she was being called because, like I said, she is very stubborn.”
He added that she is a foodie, “I can’t blame her; everything for her is about food,” he said with a laugh.
“If it does not involve food, Choppie won’t come.’
He said he often bribes her with a crust of bread to get her to listen.
“She also eats dog pellets, so she is not too much of a fussy eater. She eats about three cups of the pellets daily. We go foraging later in the day when the sun goes down, and that’s when she takes her walks.
“If you let her, she could eat the whole day, but we give her a balanced diet and enough exercise so she does not get too big.”
Nel talks about what life has been like since she became part of the family.
“Since the day I got her, she has slept in the bed with us. The first few days she got home, she would wake up in the middle of the night and squeal, but now that she is used to us and has gotten accustomed to being part of the family, she no longer does it.
“She would also wake up excitedly, and I would carry her out and show her where to relieve herself. It took me about two months to potty train her.”
He says this particular breed’s lifespan is between 13 and 20 years. Choppie, now nine months old, keeps him on his toes.
“I have a whole lifetime with her. Every day, I learn something new about her.”
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