Police officer goes viral after chasing, tackling pig during neighborhood escapade: 'Not my first rodeo'

A Utah police officer recently went viral after hilarious footage showed him pursing a stubborn pig last week.

Footage that racked up nearly 3 million views on Facebook shows Grantsville, Utah, police officer Cory Cooper chasing – and eventually tackling – an obstinate female pig. The animal was heard squealing with her legs dangling as he picked her up and carried her off-screen.

The video's comments section had over 4,600 comments, with many users' reactions ranging from amusement to praise. 

"The laugh in the background was perfect," one user wrote.

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"This is by far the best thing I’ve seen today," another said.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Cooper explained that the pig and "her partner" had been running around Grantsville for about a week. He had just clocked into his shift when he and his coworker were called to wrangle the creatures.

"[Kunekune pigs are] notorious for escaping, they really are," he explained. "And they're hard to catch. I was really lucky, actually, to catch the one the way I did."

Cooper said that he was able to catch the female pig because she had gotten tired from running around.

"I think she was just getting tired because we'd been chasing her and her partner around for a couple hours in that neighborhood," he described. "We got a line on them, they ran, and we just kind of chased them… at one point, they separated."

"I'm not sure how long they've been out before they started getting reported, but they were definitely enjoying their newfound freedom for a while," Cooper added. "They had the run of the city for about a week."

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"The gal who filmed it, that was my sergeant," he said. "She was actually coming to help me, when she pulled up… it was great timing on her part. She whipped out her phone and got it on video."

The police officer said he's gotten messages of support since the video went viral. He said he's also been the subject of some interesting social media comments.

"It was pretty comical as far as reading some of the comments," he said. "You know, the consensus has been that I was either a football player or lived on a farm."

Cooper played football as a high school freshman, he told Fox News Digital, but did not grow up on a farm. He explained that, through his friends owning farm animals, he had some experience wrangling animals before.

"It was just funny to see all of the reactions... I've definitely helped wrangle some pigs and chickens before, I guess you could say it's not my first rodeo."

"I am blown away by how crazy this has gotten," he laughed.

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The officer said that the pig-catching incident was refreshing for Grantsville, which he described as a "pretty small, rural town."

"I'll be honest, it was a lot of fun," Cooper laughed.

"We do get a lot of animal calls, which are usually like stray dogs or cats that people have found," he explained. "But every once in a while, we'll get a good laugh at the farm animals that get out."

"I've had to chase bulls down the street… a lady had a really aggressive rooster in her front yard a few years ago," he added. "And, it's funny, because I was actually the one who caught the rooster too."

Authorities are still investigating where the pigs came from. Cooper said that their owner hasn't claimed them yet, and the animals are currently staying at a farm.  

If no one claims the pigs, they will be put up for adoption.

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"If the owners are out there and they're missing a couple of pigs, let us know so that we can get them back home," he added.

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