And that makes the case of the wandering pig that much more intriguing.

Recently, a single pig was found outside a waist-high plywood pen and wandering around inside one of two 192-foot-diameter concrete tanks where Kinnear hopes one day to house large bruins.

Kinnear formed a nonprofit group called Kootznahoo-Fortress of the Bears in January with the idea of converting the two large clarifier tanks - with walls a minimum of 12 feet high - into a zoo for brown bears that have shown a penchant for digging into garbage.

But first, Kinnear must prove he is capable of handling animals in order to get the necessary state and federal permits. So, he's keeping pigs in plywood pens inside the tanks as part of a demonstration project that will be monitored by the state.

The proposed bear display has drawn the threat of litigation from an environmental group and has generated numerous letters to the local paper from people who fear it will turn into a carnival for tourists.

And it raises questions in the recent case of the liberated pig. Sitka police have no leads, but some people think it's more than a joke carried out by bored youth.

"They feel pretty confident that somebody had to assist the pig out of the enclosure," Sitka Police Chief Bob Gorder said.

Kenyon Fields, executive director of the Sitka Conservation Society, suspects it could be the work of someone opposed to the project.

"It's likely not just a teenage prank, and more likely represents the disagreement with the project that's been echoing around town," Fields said.

But the chief's not willing to go that far yet and hasn't ruled out the possibility that the pig simply squeezed out of the poorly constructed plywood pen.

The Juneau Empire