Tamworth Two
Encyclopedia
The Tamworth Two were a pair of pig
s that escaped while being unloaded from a lorry at an abattoir
in the English
town of Malmesbury
, Wiltshire
in January 1998. The pigs (later named Butch and Sundance after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
) were on the run for over a week, and the search for them caused a huge media sensation, as well as immense public interest, both in Britain and abroad.
Butch (a sow) and Sundance (a boar) were sister and brother Tamworth
pigs. Both were five months old when they were taken by lorry by their owner to V & G Newman's Abattoir in Malmesbury on 8 January 1998. Just after they were unloaded from the truck, the two pigs escaped by squeezing through a fence, then swimming across the River Avon
and escaping into nearby gardens.
The two pigs spent most of their week of freedom in a dense thicket near Tetbury Hill. As the story of their escape broke, media interest in the escaped pigs soared across the country, the press dubbing the pair "Butch and Sundance" after the American outlaws. The American NBC
network and several Japanese
media outlets were among the international media to show a great interest in the story and to send reporters to cover the tale.
The pigs were estimated to be worth between £40-50 each, and their owner, Arnoldo Dijulio, stated that he still intended to send the pair to slaughter should they be recaptured. After making this statement, Dijulio was offered large sums of money by media outlets and animal lovers to save them from the dinner table. Eventually, the Daily Mail
newspaper bought the pigs from Dijulio in return for exclusive rights to their story.
Butch was eventually captured on the evening of 15 January, when she and Sundance were spotted foraging in the garden of a local couple, Harold and Mary Clarke. Sundance escaped into the thicket once again, but was flushed out the next day by two springer spaniels
, and tranquilised with a dart gun. He was taken to a veterinary surgery to recover over the weekend.
The two pigs lived – courtesy of the Daily Mail – at the Rare Breeds Centre, an animal sanctuary near Ashford
in Kent
. Butch died aged 13 on the 8th October 2010, put to sleep after becoming seriously ill.
Seven months later, Sundance, aged 14, suffering from arthritis, and "much quieter" after his sister's death, was put down on 23 May 2011.
Staff at the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch near Ashford, Kent, are considering putting up a plaque in memory of Butch and Sundance.
produced and broadcast a 60 minute television drama called The Legend of the Tamworth Two.
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s that escaped while being unloaded from a lorry at an abattoir
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Malmesbury
Malmesbury
Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish located in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England. Historically Malmesbury was a centre for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in January 1998. The pigs (later named Butch and Sundance after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
) were on the run for over a week, and the search for them caused a huge media sensation, as well as immense public interest, both in Britain and abroad.
Butch (a sow) and Sundance (a boar) were sister and brother Tamworth
Tamworth Pig
The Tamworth is a breed of domestic pig originating in the United Kingdom, with input from Irish pigs. It is among the oldest of pig breeds but as with many older breeds of livestock it is not well suited to modern production methods and is listed as "Threatened" in the United States and...
pigs. Both were five months old when they were taken by lorry by their owner to V & G Newman's Abattoir in Malmesbury on 8 January 1998. Just after they were unloaded from the truck, the two pigs escaped by squeezing through a fence, then swimming across the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
and escaping into nearby gardens.
The two pigs spent most of their week of freedom in a dense thicket near Tetbury Hill. As the story of their escape broke, media interest in the escaped pigs soared across the country, the press dubbing the pair "Butch and Sundance" after the American outlaws. The American NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network and several Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
media outlets were among the international media to show a great interest in the story and to send reporters to cover the tale.
The pigs were estimated to be worth between £40-50 each, and their owner, Arnoldo Dijulio, stated that he still intended to send the pair to slaughter should they be recaptured. After making this statement, Dijulio was offered large sums of money by media outlets and animal lovers to save them from the dinner table. Eventually, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
newspaper bought the pigs from Dijulio in return for exclusive rights to their story.
Butch was eventually captured on the evening of 15 January, when she and Sundance were spotted foraging in the garden of a local couple, Harold and Mary Clarke. Sundance escaped into the thicket once again, but was flushed out the next day by two springer spaniels
Welsh Springer Spaniel
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a breed of dog and a member of the spaniel family. Thought to be comparable to the old Land Spaniel, they are similar to the English Springer Spaniel and historically have been referred to as both the Welsh Spaniel and the Welsh Cocker Spaniel...
, and tranquilised with a dart gun. He was taken to a veterinary surgery to recover over the weekend.
The two pigs lived – courtesy of the Daily Mail – at the Rare Breeds Centre, an animal sanctuary near Ashford
Ashford (borough)
Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Ashford.The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district, and the East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden Rural Districts...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Butch died aged 13 on the 8th October 2010, put to sleep after becoming seriously ill.
Seven months later, Sundance, aged 14, suffering from arthritis, and "much quieter" after his sister's death, was put down on 23 May 2011.
Staff at the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch near Ashford, Kent, are considering putting up a plaque in memory of Butch and Sundance.
Television movie
In 2003, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
produced and broadcast a 60 minute television drama called The Legend of the Tamworth Two.