Pig Earns Death Sentence After Serious Attack

TOWNSEND, MA — A man who was seriously injured after being attacked by a pig on his family farm Tuesday evening has been upgraded to stable condition and is expected to survive. The pig, however, will not.

A woman and man were both attacked by the same boar at two different times Tuesday.

Around 5:52 p.m., police, fire and EMS responded to 188 Fitchburg Road in Townsend for a report that a male pig had injured a woman. The 38-year-old woman had lacerations on her body from the attack. She was transported to Leominster Hospital for treatment.

Later, at 7:29 p.m., rescuers were called back to the same location for a report of a man who had gotten more serious injuries from the same animal. Police, Fire, and EMS personnel arrived to find a 50-year-old man with very serious injuries.

Due to the nature of the victim’s injuries, a medical helicopter was requested, but the weather conditions changed those plans. The victim was transported by Townsend EMS to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with life-threatening injuries.

The animal, an adult boar, or male pig, had originally been quarantined pending further evaluation by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, State Veterinarian, Animal Rescue League and Townsend Animal Control, said police

The Townsend Police Department is meeting with Townsend Animal Control Warden Mary Letourneau, the Animal Rescue League, the Massachusetts State Veterinarian, a local veterinarian and the Massachusetts State Animal Inspector to conduct a further investigation into the incident.

“The Townsend Police Department is investigating two very unfortunate farm incidents involving an animal attacking two people in the same day,” Chief Eaton said. “We will be working closely with our partners in the animal control and veterinary world to determine the best course of action.”

After conferring with these authorities and the owner of the pig, the decision has been made to euthanize the animal and conduct a test for rabies. The rabies test is being performed out of an abundance of caution, said officials.