From WeHo Fugitive to Malibu Ranch Life in Less Than a Week
Today’s Whimsy is brought to you by the one-of-one Diane Warren. The legendary songwriter saw footage of a little black-and-white pig running loose through West Hollywood and immediately did what any reasonable hitmaker with a seven-acre animal sanctuary would do: she decided she needed that pig.
The pig, dubbed Wilbur, became a local viral star after Jamaal Harrison spotted him running through the neighborhood on Saturday, August 15. Harrison was riding an e-bike when what first looked like a small dog turned out to be a surprisingly speedy pig tearing through streets, alleys and yards around the Fairfax area.
WILBUR
From West Hollywood to Rescue-Ranch Royalty
Learn more about Diane Warren’s animal-welfare work, then give your own four-legged troublemakers a little enrichment while Wilbur settles into Malibu life.
Some links may be affiliate links. INYIM may earn from qualifying purchases.
Video of the chase spread quickly online as Harrison and other would-be rescuers tried to keep Wilbur away from traffic and somehow convince a pig with absolutely no interest in surrendering that capture was in his best interest. The animal was eventually corralled and taken to the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter.
Shelter officials gave Wilbur’s owner time to come forward. Nobody did.
That is when Miss Warren entered the chat.
Diane Warren Saw Wilbur on the News and Said Get the Pig
Marcia Zwilling, managing director of the Diane Warren Foundation, told ABC7 that Warren saw the news footage and immediately called her with one very clear directive: get the pig.
There was just one little complication: other people wanted Wilbur too. When the adoption window opened Thursday, four prospective adopters showed up at the shelter. Because of the interest, a silent auction was held to determine who would take him home.
Zwilling placed the winning bid on Warren’s behalf. The amount was not publicly disclosed, but the result was: Wilbur had officially gone from freeway-adjacent fugitive to celebrity rescue pig.
His destination is Mousebutt Rescue Ranch, Warren’s seven-acre animal sanctuary in Malibu. The ranch, which Warren established in 2017, provides a home for rescued farm animals and other creatures, including pigs, goats, donkeys and senior cats.
Zwilling promised Wilbur a life involving beautiful acreage, animal friends and — naturally — gourmet salads every day. Honestly, some of us have been living in Los Angeles for years and still have not unlocked this level of Malibu wellness.
There May Be One Problem With the Name Wilbur
The shelter nickname may not survive the move. Warren already has another pig named Wilbur, which creates the sort of household confusion normally reserved for families where three cousins are all named Michael.
She has floated a very appropriate alternative: Hollywood.
And honestly? A pig who went viral sprinting through West Hollywood before winning a competitive adoption bid and moving to a Malibu celebrity sanctuary has earned a stage name.
Diane Warren Has Been Rescuing Animals for Years
This may be wonderfully kooky, but it is not a random celebrity impulse. Warren has a long record of animal advocacy, and the Diane Warren Foundation has supported rescue organizations for more than two decades.
In 2021, Warren also became involved after a cow escaped a Southern California slaughterhouse and ran through a Pico Rivera neighborhood. She helped secure sanctuary for the animal rather than seeing it returned to slaughter.
Her Malibu ranch grew directly out of that larger commitment to animal welfare. The Mousebutt Rescue Ranch takes its gloriously Diane Warren name from her beloved late cat Mouse and parrot Buttwings. Yes, Buttwings. No notes.
So Wilbur — or Hollywood, should the rebrand stick — is not simply being deposited in somebody’s celebrity backyard. He is heading to an established sanctuary prepared for the fact that a tiny pig does not stay tiny forever.
See More From Diane Warren and Her Newest Rescue Pig
The supplied images below accompany coverage of Warren meeting the rescued West Hollywood pig and his move toward sanctuary life in Malibu.
Wilbur’s viral West Hollywood adventure ended with a new home at Diane Warren’s Mousebutt Rescue Ranch in Malibu.
Warren joked about the outcome with a line only she could deliver after years of awards-season history: she may have lost 17 competitive Oscar races, but this time she won a pig.
Fair. We have seen the little guy. Give her the trophy.
Watch the Report on Diane Warren Adopting West Hollywood’s Runaway Pig
The supplied YouTube embed covers Warren’s adoption of the viral West Hollywood pig; exact public YouTube title and uploader metadata could not be independently retrieved during this cleanup.
Source: ABC7 Los Angeles; CBS Los Angeles; Entertainment Weekly; The Tailwaggers Foundation.
