Fred the pig caught after mischief rampage

After numerous complaints of mischief in the city of Aurora, a 400lb (181kg) culprit has finally been caught loitering outside a shopping centre.

Officials say Fred, who dodged them for several days, is "always hungry" and "loves his belly scratches".

Aurora Animal Services knew they were looking for a pig, they were surprised at just how big he was.

It took about eight people and five hours to capture him. They now hope to find his forever home.

"He's almost like a dog in behaviour, so we want to maintain his life of being a happy, social pig," said Augusta Allen, a field officer with Aurora Animal Services,

City officials first became aware of Fred on 24 September when they received a call about a pig that was tearing up a person's yard. But when animal officers arrived on the scene, they were not able to find him.

More calls came in the next day, this time about a pig in traffic. Then another call about a pig that was ruining someone's landscaping.

He was then spotted again three days later on 27 September, in the early morning hours.

This time, Fred was in a position where he could be captured, Ms Allen said.

Still, it was no easy task.

It took eight people and five hours to capture Fred, who was found by city staff in front of a strip mall in Aurora, Colorado

"We didn't know exactly how big he is," Ms Allen said. "Pot-bellied pigs are more of a common pet so we thought maybe that's what we are looking for."

"Turns out Fred is not a pot-bellied pig."

Instead, Fred is a large farm pig that is estimated to weigh at least 400 lbs.

"He just wasn't ready to give up his holiday of running around the city and eating what he wanted to eat," she said.

After he was captured, staff affectionately gave him the name Fred, and he has been staying at the Aurora Animal Shelter ever since.

Ms Allen said he is an unusual addition to the shelter, which more commonly houses cats and dogs.

"We actually had to go buy supplies for him," she said, including food and straw.

Staff are not sure how he ended up on the streets of Aurora. They have speculated that he may have been a backyard pet that grew to be a much bigger size than expected.

"They probably got him as a little piglet, and he just continued to grow," Ms Allen said.

Nobody has claimed Fred yet and he seems to like his new home for now, but staff are hoping to find a farm for him where he can play and be at ease.

"He's social, he's always hungry," Ms Allen said.

"And he's quite content back there, he's just been napping and kind of lazing around," she said. "He's just a nice boy."