UDON THANI — A pig rescued from last week’s severe flooding in Hat Yai has been transported more than 1,600 kilometers to a new home in Udon Thani after a volunteer team took pity on the wounded animal and decided to care for it themselves. They named him “Boon Rod,” meaning “Lucky Survivor.”
Volunteers from the Udon Sawang Methatham Foundation were returning from flood relief operations in Hat Yai when they stopped at a gas station in Udon Thani’s Ban Jan subdistrict. In the back of their pickup truck lay the 60-kilogram male pig, tied safely to the truck bed and calmly eating vegetables and bananas.
The team said they found the pig stranded atop a spirit house structure near a school after floodwaters receded. With no owner or agency coming forward to take responsibility, the volunteers decided to rescue it. The animal had cuts on its body and legs, likely from sharp metal or roofing sheets it encountered while swimming to safety.
Saichon Khumsap, a volunteer and temple caretaker from Udon Thani’s Kut Chap district, said he was moved to help after watching television coverage of the Hat Yai flooding. He traveled with the team for nearly two days to reach the city, arriving at 3 a.m. and launching their long-tail boat soon after.
Their first tasks involved rescuing residents injured by broken glass in water as deep as two meters. Debris, including wooden planks, mattresses and metal scraps, repeatedly tangled the boat’s propeller or slammed against the hull, making operations difficult, Saichon said.
After completing their missions, the volunteers brought Boon Rod back to Udon Thani, where they plan to care for him permanently.
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