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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A pig running loose on Interstate 40 Westbound in Farragut near the 371 mile maker caused a commotion Wednesday, April 13.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Coker was able to save the pig after it got on the highway. According to THP, his lack of lasso was no problem, he hog-tied the pig using his tape measure.

  • THP trooper saving a pig on the loose. (Photo via THP)
  • THP trooper saving a pig on the loose. (Photo via THP)
  • THP trooper saving a pig on the loose. (Photo via THP)

Coker’s father in law has a farm, but this is the extent of his experience working with farm animals. He refers to himself as an “unregistered, uncertified farmhand.”

He credits the TV shows Yellowstone and 1883 for the knowledge to know how to handle a pig.

On a more serious note Coker notes this experience as another demonstration of his duty as a trooper, to protect the safety of the general public. The animal wandering into the roadway caused an obstruction, and could’ve caused a potential disaster.


According to Mark Nagi with the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the pig’s name was “Calhoun.”