Pranksters Suspected Of Letting Pigs Out Of Morgan Hill School Farm

MORGAN HILL (KPIX 5) – Police in Morgan Hill are searching for someone who let nearly two dozen pigs out of their pens at Live Oak High School over the weekend.

Authorities said someone opened all of the pens at the school's Future Farmers of America barn sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

Once the pigs were out, they began biting one another in what is considered natural behavior.

"People don't know that when you let animals like pigs out, they are very territorial. So they are going to try to establish a pecking order," said Kayla Mulch, a teacher and advisor. "And so they get very aggressive when put in that kind of situation. They are normally a very docile animal."

As part of the program, students pay for all upkeep of the pigs and come here over the summer to feed and raise them.

Senior Christian Mendoza is the past farm manager, and said all of the students involved are devastated.

"To hear that someone would come out and take them out this safe environment and put them in harm's way and potentially permanently damaging the project is kind of gut wrenching," Mendoza told KPIX 5.

Other than the pigs being let out, there was no sign of forced entry and nor was anything stolen. At least one of the students did file a report with the Morgan Hill Police Department.

The animals raised by the program in Morgan Hill will go to auction at the Santa Clara County Fair in just a few weeks.