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Lucky Piggy is based on the true story of a pig who climbed onto a mattress during Hurricane Gabriel.
photo: Contributor/Smith Books
When three-metre-high floodwaters overwhelmed a rural home in Hawke’s Bay last year, a brave pig swam upstream in a desperate bid for survival.
The Fernhill property belongs to the Smith family, which includes Stacey, her husband Mike and their three children: Bella, eight, William, six, and Sam, four.
The house, located at the end of two rivers, the Ngaruroro and Tutaikuri, was quickly flooded when Cyclone Gabriel hit, and the family climbed onto the roof of a shed before being rescued by helicopter.
When the Smiths returned home, they found Lucky lying on a mattress in a child’s bedroom — and Lucky’s story of survival is now the inspiration for a children’s book.
“My uncle and auntie are lucky enough to live next door to us and we have one pig and they have two pigs and they usually go into the freezer,” Stacey Smith told RNZ. 9 a.m. to noon.
As the water began to rise, the family managed to carry Lucky into the garage where they took shelter, but eventually the water rose too high and Lucky was left on his own.
“My uncle went to get Lucky and took her back to the garage to try to find her some higher ground. Then the water got so high that Lucky had to fend for herself,” Smith said.
Fortunately, however, Smith said, there was a determined pig.
“Lucky managed to swim through the strong current from my uncle and aunt’s house and against the current into our house, which is on the hallway to my child’s bedroom, and she somehow managed to crawl onto a mattress and stayed there. The next day, when my husband and brother went to check the damage to the house, they found her.”
Smith said that after that terrible flood, “luck” became a source of hope.
“It’s a hopeful, funny story, and luckily she didn’t even die, she was on our mattress and she survived. So, it creates positivity in a very bad situation.
“And then obviously since then, people have said to me that this would make a really cool story for kids to read.”
The book is out now and available in all good bookshops, with illustrations by Deborah Hinde, and part of the proceeds will go towards helping children in the community.
Meanwhile, Lucky is living his best life, Smith said.
“When we found her, I remember saying to my uncle, ‘If I give her back to you, is she going to go in the freezer?’ He was a real hunter-gatherer and his response was, ‘Well, she’ll end up there.’ I said ‘You can’t do that after everything she’s been through. I’m going to keep her.’ I didn’t realize how big she would get.”
The Smiths still have her, and she has given birth to a litter of lucky puppies.
“She had a litter of 10 piglets, she’s an amazing mom, it was her first litter, and they all survived. And … she’s doing great.”
Smith said there was something special about this pig.
“She’s very, very talkative, loves to hum and chat, loves to have her back scratched.”
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