The British Forces Family's Not-So-Micro Pig

A forces couple who bought a 'micro pig' as a cute pet were shocked when it kept growing, before reaching a whopping 20 stone. 

But that didn't stop them developing an unbreakable bond with Pumba the pot-bellied pig. Owner Jayne Johnson said:

"She was supposed to be micro. She sort of grew a bit too much, but she’s part of the family."

And after leaving her with relatives in the UK when they were posted to Germany, they soon realised they didn’t want to live apart - so they began the 12-month process to move her over to their Service Family Accommodation.

Now, Pumba lives in the family home in Bielefeld, Germany. She isn’t like other pigs - for a start, she doesn’t like the rain and is house trained.

Micro pigs have been bred to be extra small, but Pumba didn’t turn out that way. At first, she was dwarfed by her canine older brother Stitch, but she soon began to grow.

She’s full of personality too, and can often be spotted being walked around the married quarters by WO2 Roger Johnson.

"She’ll tell you when she wants to go for exercise. So when my husband’s home and she wants to go out, if it’s not raining and it’s not too cold she’ll moan by the door."

A fully grown pig can be high maintenance, needing regular exercise, vaccinations, tusk trimming and even applying sunscreen in the summer.

They're also the fourth smartest animal amongst mammals and can be trained to 'sit' and 'lie down', which explains why Pumba has no trouble "breaking into the fridge or rattling pots and pans around the cupboard".

One thing is for certain - Pumba certainly is the most pampered piggy in the British Forces.