An escaped hog in Phenix City went viral. We tracked down his caretakers.

Caretakers of the Phenix City hog spotted on Facebook feeds around the nation are actively searching for the animal in hopes of his return.

Right off of Brickyard Road near Fontaine Park sits Eason Woods, a former pottery production site turned “wild preserve.” All sorts of animals live on the 400-acre property, including guineas, barn cats, chickens, goats, donkeys and two big hogs named Oliver and Ginger.

Calvin Harris and Tony Brown are two of Eason Woods’ caretakers. After viewing photos of the animal, the caretakers confirmed it was indeed their missing hog.

Harris and Brown said Oliver is a rust-colored male hog is about 8 years old, weighs somewhere between 700 and 800 pounds and is just under 2 feet tall. He lives with a Ginger, who happens to be very pregnant right now. A second male hog used to live with the pair, but he was killed recently by wild dogs, the caretakers said.

Ginger and Oliver are “inseparable” said Lesley Eason. Ginger has been pregnant before, but has always lost the babies.

He is considered a beloved family pet and has a very positive disposition, Eason said.

Harris, who has been working on the property for about 21 years, said they first noticed the pig missing Friday evening. They’ve had hogs go missing before, but never for this long.

The pig was last spotted Thursday afternoon walking toward Brickyard Road, according to Angela Price, who posted videos and photos of the pig to Facebook.

Price said she saw the hog walking toward Brickyard Road as she was driving from her parents’ house in Fontaine Park.

“I looked across the street and saw something big and brown and I said ‘what the hell is that?!’” Price said. “So I sat in the car amazed at how huge it was ... and I said oh my god, I need to take some pictures for my Facebook.”

The post currently has over 600 shares and 275 likes and reactions. A video of the hog walking along the Eason Woods fence has been viewed over 11,000 times.

Media outlets around the country from Mashable to AL.com picked up the story, and it even made its way across the pond to the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom.

“It’s amazing. It took a hog for me to go viral?” Price said, laughing.

Phenix City Police Chief Ray Smith said what started out as a small story quickly grew into an international phenomenon likely due to the how huge the hog appears next to homes.

“You’re living in Alabama. Do we have pig farms here? We do, but they’re not the size of the house,” Smith said.

Smith is familiar with Eason Woods and the pigs that live there. He said the way the photos were taken most likely skewed the viewer’s perception of how big the pig really is.

For instance, the photo where the hog seems to be the size of a house. The hog is actually standing at the crest of a small hill in front of the home, so the hog appears larger than it really is in person.

The biggest concern Harris and Brown have now is the missing hog getting hit by a driver, picked up by a stranger or shot for meat. However, Harris warned against anyone thinking of using it for a Thanksgiving feast.

The hog is not castrated, which means any meat from it will not be entirely edible and likely make you sick, Harris said. Pigs raised for meat are generally castrated young as to not spoil the potential meat. The large amount of fat on the missing hog also makes for less-than-ideal cuts.

The two caretakers hope the hog is returned soon, or at least spotted again so they can pick it up. Harris said the hog could be looking for refuge in a swamp-like area or grassy area for eating.

While they do have other tasks and duties to complete, Brown said they’ll actively be on the lookout for the missing hog.

Smith said he plans to send Animal Control agents to Eason Woods to help locate the hog. Anyone who spots it can call 706-561-8101 or 404-384-1994 to report its location.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 5:26 PM with the headline "An escaped hog in Phenix City went viral. We tracked down his caretakers.."