From Trash to Treasure: the Rescue of “Greggery the Peccary”
This adorable javelina was found in an in-ground trash can, surrounded by discarded bottles and rubbish. Unable to escape after falling in, the baby was left stranded and alone until a crew of construction workers found him. After calling TWC for advice, our rescue team went out to capture the little peccary. With no herd in sight, the orphaned javelina was brought back to our wildlife hospital where an assessment by our wildlife veterinarian determined he had symptoms of common winter pneumonia and needed medical treatment.
TWC volunteers prepared a soft bed and heating pad so the little one could warm up and gave him a toy stuffed animal equipped with a battery-operated heartbeat for comfort. He snuggled right up to it and dozed off, warming the hearts of our wildlife hospital staff and volunteers.
The little javelina spent a couple of weeks receiving excellent care at TWC. After several local news features, social media users gave him the darling nickname of “Greggery Peccary,” from a Frank Zappa tune released in 1978. After a few weeks of bottle feeding and rest in rehabilitation at TWC, he was transferred and introduced to other javelina. The new herd would spend time integrating before being released together in the wild.
