- A crowdfunding campaign has been launched for a nine-year-old boy who was attacked by his pet pig.
- The boy is said to be recovering at home but the family needs assistance with his medical bill.
- The family has set a target of R300 000 to pay the bill.
Nine-year-old Luke Mulvey, who lives on a smallholding in Lovemore Park, the Eastern Cape, was attacked on 30 September by a 250kg sow that he has looked after as a pet for the last two years.
Luke had stopped by the pigsty to check on the sow and her piglets, as he had done just two days before.
He did not expect the pig - which was described as usually friendly and placid - to be uneasy about his presence.
Luke was caught off-guard when the pig charged at him to protect her newborn piglets, BackaBuddy said in a statement on Tuesday.
The sow, named Piglet, was then seen latching onto the boy's arm and shaking him like a rag doll.
His father, David, came to the rescue and caught the pig by the tail before it could charge his son again.
"I am so grateful that I had the strength to hold on. It was a terrifying and traumatic experience for both of us.
"I thought I was going to see my son killed before my eyes. My world was turned upside down in a flash," he said.
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Luke was bleeding profusely and was rushed to St George's Hospital, where his broken arm was wired and plated together.
His journey did not end there, as he has had to endure four surgeries on his road to recovery.
Luke's medical bill has exceeded R300 000, and the public has thrown come out in support of the young boy's family through a crowdfunding campaign.
"With generous support from the public, over R38 000 has been raised with kind contributions from 57 donors, both locally and internationally, who have been a blessing to the family that has suffered great emotional and financial stress," BackaBuddy's marketing a public relations manager, Zane Groenewald, said.
The Mulvey family said they were overwhelmed and blown away by the support they received.
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"The support from everyone has been so overwhelming. We are blown away and so thankful for how generous people can be for my boy.
"Family members, teachers, neighbours, friends, and strangers have all stepped up to support Luke and our BackaBuddy campaign. I would be lost without their help," David added.
On Wednesday, he told News24 his son was back home and had returned to school.
"He has movement in all his fingers, and he is due for another surgery in three months. Out of the R300 000 goal, we are sitting on R100 000 at the moment.
"We need as much help as we can get [as] we dropped medical aid due to the Covid-19 pandemic," David said.
