German cow herd adopts lone wild boar piglet

Farmer spotted it among cattle in Brevoerde about three weeks ago

Wild boar 'Frieda' and a bovine friend near the river Weser in Germany. AP

A cow herd in Germany has gained an unlikely following after adopting Frieda, a lone wild boar piglet.

Farmer Friedrich Stapel told the DPA news agency that he spotted the piglet among the herd in the central German community of Brevoerde about three weeks ago. It was likely to have lost its group when they crossed a nearby river.

Mr Stapel said that while he knows what extensive damage wild boars can cause, he can’t bring himself to chase the animal away.

The local hunter has been told not to shoot the piglet — nicknamed Frieda — and in winter Mr Stapel plans to put it in the shed with the mother cows.

“To leave it alone now would be unfair,” he said.