Police investigating after piece of a pig turns up in Newton park

Police are investigating after a piece of a pig was found off a walking trail in Newton on Sunday, police said. 

Newton police were informed that an unidentified person left “a full pig leg or flank” off of a trail near Flowed Meadow at the Cove in Auburndale Park, Newton police said.

A red flag and note was left next to the meat, Newton police said. 

Police do not know if the meat was intended “to feed wildlife, to lure animals for hunting, or some other unknown reason,” the department said.

“Hunting on conservation land and in Newton parks is prohibited under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 131, Section 59, which forbids hunting or harming wildlife on any reservation, park, common, or land owned or leased by the Commonwealth of its municipalities, except under very limited, authorized circumstances,” Newton police wrote in a Facebook post.

Newton Animal Control along with Mass. Environmental Police are investigating the left pig meat, Newton police said. 

MassWildlife strongly advises the public to not feed wildlife because it teaches wild animals to rely on humans for food and hurts their ability for survival.