A man arrested for cruelty to a wild pig he kept as a pet has defended himself as an animal lover who treated the young boar like a son. Worried that the animal he calls Little Tommy might now be put down, Shing Wing-biu showed off the pig's 50 sq ft room. The pig also has its own outside space to run around in and a pond to swim in. "I am upset at being accused of animal abuse because everyone knows I am an animal lover," said the 62-year-old, who was arrested after a passer-by complained that he kicked the pig as he walked it on a chain along the Sai Kung waterfront on Sunday. He said he saved the boar from a pack of wild dogs in the backyard of his property at Nam Wai, Sai Kung, about 10 months ago, when it was a month old. "It was being attacked by dogs and its legs were hurt," he said. Shing said Little Tommy gets several meals a day, with fresh fruit being its favourite food, and it "lives in harmony" with his four pet dogs. "I often see them sunbathing on my balcony," he said. "They are all my loving sons." The animal is now 1.5 metres long and weighs 70kg. Shing said that while he was being held for questioning from about 5pm until nearly midnight on Sunday, Little Tommy grew distressed waiting in his van and had ended up smashing the windscreen. The pig ended up being tranquillised by government veterinarians and is now being looked after at the New Territories North animal management centre in Sheung Shui. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said no external wounds had been found on the animal apart from a couple of scratches on its nose. A department spokesman said no decision had yet been made on whether the pig would be put down, released into the wild or returned to Shing. He added that the pig was being kept as evidence and was unlikely to be returned to Shing until the investigation was completed. Wong Tai Sin detectives are waiting for reports from the department and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Aside from Shing's alleged act [of cruelty], police are investigating whether he caught the pig by unlawful hunting and whether it is illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet," an officer said. SPCA's Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling said Shing should have handed the animal over to experts at the society, Kadoorie Farm or the department. "When the boar grows older and stronger, it will pose a danger to the public," she said. The Wild Animals Protection Ordinance prohibits the killing, hunting or capturing of any protected wild animal, but there are no rules to stop anyone from having a pet boar, Ngan said. The incident has prompted the creation of a Facebook page by the Boar's Concern Group. The page has attracted wide discussion and a petition, with lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching calling for the release of the pig.