Maryland vandals tag sow, piglets with graffiti

[July 03, 2014]  (Reuters) - Vandals broke into a Maryland petting zoo this week and painted graffiti on a sow and her piglets, police said on Wednesday.

The taggers used blue veterinary antiseptic spray to paint "Hello my pretty" on the 650-pound, 3-year-old mother at the Green Meadows Petting Farm in Monrovia, Maryland.

Each of the 11 7-day-old piglets had a letter spray-painted on it, but farmer Ken Keyes, the Green Meadows owner, is not sure what word or words they might be.

"It's some sort of message," he said.

More graffiti painted on a wall said "Urbana Rules," a likely reference to nearby Urbana High School, Keyes said.

"I think it was high school kids," he said. "I don't think it's a middle-aged couple that said 'let's go tag some pigs.'"

No animals were harmed. The vandals also stole a tortoise named Henrietta.

Keyes filed a report with the Maryland State Police, who are investigating along with Frederick County Animal Control.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Jim Loney)

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