POSTED:   09/17/2013 12:03:03 AM PDT

CHICO — It’s true — pigs do fly.When a small stray swine was spotted in the heart of the city’s urban area nearly three weeks ago, Chico Animal Shelter staff wondered where she came from. They took her in and named her BeBe, and when no one stepped forward to claim her, they went the extra mile to find her a new home.”She’s very sweet,” said animal care attendant Daniel Hanson. “She’s very personable and likes to play. And she makes it known when she’s bored.”With a bright pink snout, long white eyelashes and black spots dotting her coarse white hair, BeBe grunts happily for belly rubs and bulldozes her way around the office. On Monday afternoon, the 17-pound pig made sucking and smacking noises as she scrounged fallen oatmeal flakes from the floor.

She’s expected to grow much larger.

Today marks her last day in Chico.

This morning, the 3-month-old potbellied pig mix gets a free flight to Southern California courtesy of Pilots N Paws, a volunteer organization that provides animal rescue air transport. After a brief layover in Livermore, BeBe heads to San Diego to be spayed and live out her days at Snorts and Tails sanctuary with another potbellied pig, a llama and a goat.

“We are gonna miss her,” Hanson said. “But I’m glad she’s going somewhere where they understand her special needs.”

BeBe was first spotted by a college-aged group near McDonalds on Mangrove Avenue in late August. With the help of a dozen people, they managed to catch her and bring her to the shelter.

Shelter staff and their veterinarian gave the pig a checkup and declared her healthy. Instead of adoption, they thought it best if she went to a rescue well-versed in pig care.

Hanson, who also coordinates shelter rescue efforts, contacted two dozen groups, starting with those in the local area.

“Everyone loved her, they really wanted to take her,” he said, before noting that unfortunately no one nearby had the space or experience to take BeBe in.

He finally found Pig Harmony in Southern California, which connected him with BeBe’s soon-to-be new home.

BeBe’s origins in Chico remain a mystery. Livestock are for the most part illegal in city limits, but she could have escaped from someone traveling through town, gotten away from current owners or been released by someone who realized the precious piglet was turning into a perky porker.

“A little baby pig is a novelty,” said Hanson, who grew up on a farm and around pigs. “But 160 pounds later, she’s not quite as cute.”

While rabbits and guinea pigs are not uncommon, this was the first pig that Chico Animal Shelter staff said they remember taking in. Other uncommon animals have included chickens, tortoises, ducks, a Sebastopol goose, snakes and an Argentine tegu lizard.

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Reach Ashley Gebb at 896-7768, [email protected] or on Twitter @AshleyGebb.