This virtual cache pays tribute to Francis the Pig, a Red Deer local legend.
In the summer of 1990, a pig first known only as KH27 cheated certain death when he escaped the slaughterhouse. The wily pig had no desire to be made into sausage. Weighing 108 kg, he managed to flee the kill floor by jumping over a wall nearly twice his height. He then stealthily made his way through the butchery, and pushed open a screen door to freedom. Over the next few months, sporadic sightings of the pig were recorded, and stories of the escapee became the subject of much local chatter. Red Deerians affectionately named the runaway pig Francis.
Francis made himself a home along the trails just east of West Park. He managed to sustain himself by foraging and by raiding garbage cans in the nearby neighbourhood. A feisty young lad, he was reported to have been seen warding off hostile coyotes. With winter approaching, Al Marshall was tasked with tracking Francis down and returning him to the slaughterhouse. Francis eluded Marshall for four days. Eventually, he was spotted at an acreage west of Red Deer, where Marshall attempted to tranquilize him. The tranquilizer had no effect on the giant hog and the pesky pig escaped death a second time.
A fugitive from captivity for five months, Francis' fame grew. Hearing of the escaped pig, local children began pleading for Francis not to be harmed.
The children's pleas did not go unheard, and it was ultimately decided that the beloved pig would be spared the butcher's knife. Once rescued, he would live out his remaining years in luxury on a local farm. After months on the run, a tranquilizer dart was used to take him down, and Francis was finally captured in early 1991. Unfortunately, the dart punctured his bowel, and two days later, Francis succumed to his wound.
Francis, emaciated after months on the run
The legend of Francis the Pig continues to live on through the ghost statue that was erected here in his honour.
To log this virtual cache, please message me the answers to the following questions:
1. What is the name of the person who sculpted this statue of Francis the Pig?
2. On the plaque, what word is used to describe the place from which Francis escaped?
3. If you unrolled Francis' curly pig tail, approximately how long would it be?
Optional: Please post a picture with your log of you posing with local legend Francis the Pig.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.