A dog has been left fighting for her life after being “relentlessly attacked” by an Iron Age pig while out on a walk with her owners.
The terrifying hog clamped its jaws around the cocker spaniel, called Luna, before gouging open the knee of her owner Mark Shadbolt with its sharp teeth.
Luna’s stomach was ripped open in the ambush and Mr Shadbolt was left with a nasty gash on his leg.
The attack, which happened on July 10 at the Westacre Estate rewilding site, only ended when Mr Shadbolt and his wife Vanessa warned off the pig with a walking stick.
The rewilding site at the estate near Swaffham aims to create a "corridor of untamed nature".
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Shortly after the couple entered the signposted rewilding area, they were ambushed by one of the site's Iron Age pigs.
The pigs are a hybrid between a wild boar and a domestic pig, developed 50 years ago on the model of prehistoric pigs.
During the attack, which Mrs Shadbolt believes was a result of the creature wanting to protect its piglets, the hog was frightened off.
It then returned and turned its fury towards Mr Shadbolt, leaving him with a wound on his left knee.
"From the left came this huge black creature, which we thought was a rottweiler at first but then we realised it was one of the Iron Age pigs,” Mrs Shadbolt said. "It flew across the track and gouged my dog's throat and the back of her leg - it was a relentless attack.”
Guidance for dog walkers states that "the livestock are untamed and with young" and that visitors must stick to the paths, keeping a distance from the animals and putting their dogs on leads.
But the possible danger posed by the pigs freely roaming on the estate is not mentioned.
The couple followed the advice, keeping both dogs on the lead when walking by the sow and her piglets which were hidden in "waist-length" grass.
Alec Birkbeck, the owner of Westacre Estate, said: "In an ideal world, the pig attack incident would not have happened and it is extremely distressing for all concerned.
"We are now monitoring her closely and we will not hold back from culling the animal if she shows any signs of further aggression.
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"The pig had a litter of piglets and was, unfortunately, following her instincts when Mr Shadbolt and his dog walked past her, pigs and dogs are not a good mix as dogs are evolutionary predators.”
Following the attack, the estate will end breeding in the designated rewilding areas open to the public and will "close the areas to public access" if breeding does occur.
Luna was rushed to vets after the attack and will need to undergo six months of treatment, which will cost thousands of pounds, before she is fully recovered.
Mrs Shadbolt has suffered sleepless nights interrupted by images of "the pig attacking and running" at her after the incident.
She added: "My other dog is very unsettled and stressed by this, I had bad dreams last night and I'm terrified of going anywhere and I can't sleep.
“Every time I close my eyes I just see that pig attacking and running at me and I may need to seek medical help."
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