Villagers saved the bacon of a five-month-old orphaned piglet which made a daring escape when her family were shot by hunters who mistook her for a wild boar.

Betty the Tamworth Cross was able to flee unharmed when her mother and siblings were targeted by huntsmen after being abandoned in woodland.

False rumours had spread throughout local towns that the dumped pigs were actually wild boar roaming the woods near Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire - just over the border from Hay-on-Wye.

Hunters on quadbikes descended on the area armed with guns before finding and sadly killing Betty's mother and all of her siblings in December.

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Incredibly, Betty somehow managed to escape with her life before she was found by local resident Ilisa Meadows who took her into her home.

Betty quickly won the hearts of the rest of the village, who all rallied together to find her a safe new home as soon as possible.

And last month, they were delighted when she was taken in by the owners of Goodheart Animal Sanctuary, near Kidderminster, Worcs.

Betty has joined 300 other animals on the farm - including cows, sheep, goats and chickens - and is said to be settling in well following her brush with death.

Hereford Times: False rumours had spread throughout local towns that the dumped pigs were actually wild boar roaming the woods near Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Picture: Emma Trimble/SWNSFalse rumours had spread throughout local towns that the dumped pigs were actually wild boar roaming the woods near Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Picture: Emma Trimble/SWNS (Image: Emma Trimble/SWNS)

Ilisa said she felt compelled to help Betty as quickly as possible in case word got out she had survived and the hunters returned.

She added: "There wasn’t much time as too many people knew she was there.

"They heard about her in pubs up in the Radnor Hills and even as far as Builth Wells.

“It was quite amazing how the whole village was behind the rescue plan and it brought us all closer together which is lovely.”

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Ilisa praised her fellow villagers for helping to save Betty after several attempted to prevent the needless death of the animals.

One elderly resident even tried to stop the hunters from killing the mother pig and her piglets and was left 'traumatised' when they were shot in front of her.

Ilisa cared for Betty from December until January this year, hand-feeding her apples and even managed to train her to run to her when she was called.

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The sanctuary said pigs are widely believed to have the same intelligence as a three-year-old child and can even grieve for one another and feel fear.

After a period of quarantine, Betty will now be integrated with other rescued pigs, where she'll enjoy a spacious new home and the care and attention she needs.

Goodheart’s project director Alison Hood said: “We’re proud to be part of such an inspiring rescue operation and want to thank Ilisa and her neighbours for all their efforts in saving Betty.

"We can’t imagine the fear this little piglet has experienced at just a few months old.

"But we’re happy in the knowledge that she can live out the rest of her life in safety at our sanctuary and become an ambassador for her species."