A SQUEAL OF A DEAL; SCOUTS BUILD PIGS NEW WINTER DIGS.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

Evan Hess' heart went out to the pigs. The animals had survived abandonment, abuse and hunger, and now it looked as if they might have to spend the winter in the rain.

``I wanted to do a service project for my Eagle Scout badge, and I'd heard about Camp Oink,'' said Hess, who with a group of about 20 other Boy Scouts spent a rainy Saturday building winter homes for 44 pigs and one hog. ``I also love pigs, and I can't have one of my own, so I called Linda Jackson, who runs the camp, to see if there was anything I could do.''

Jackson started Camp Oink about two years ago after she adopted a Vietnamese potbellied pig, which turned out to be pregnant.

``So I started with her and her litter,'' she said. ``It was a case of owners starting with two `cute' baby pigs and then abandoning them.

``Pet stores . . . sell the pigs when they're cute and little, and they don't tell people the truth about the size or demands of having a full-grown pig.''

All of Jackson's pigs are neutered and kept on strict regimens of diet and exercise. She discourages pigs as household pets, but encourages pig lovers like Hess to visit and even help care for the animals.

``We really depend on people like Evan helping us,'' Jackson said. ``We always need donations of help and materials, like wire, fencing, blankets, tubs, hoses. . . . I'd even like to plant some trees to create shady areas for the animals.''

When Hess spoke to Jackson, she also said she needed help building winter shelters for the pigs.

``She told us that a lot of the pigs didn't have shelter, just open pens,'' he said. ``And with El Nino coming, they'd be out in the rain all winter.''

So Hess began planning. He worked with a family friend, an architect, on a simple design, recruited other Scouts and helped organize a barn dance complete with game booths to raise money for the project.

On Saturday, Hess guided members of Scout Troop 718 from Thousand Oaks through the day's tasks: measuring and cutting the wood, painting a new sign for the camp, cleaning areas for the pig shelters and, finally, building them.

Work on the shelters, which look like oversized doghouses, began not a moment too soon. The Scouts had dry weather in the morning, but by early afternoon a steady downpour had begun.

The Scouts will work through today, and when the job is done, every pig and the single African guinea hog will have a warm, dry, double-occupancy home.

For more information about Camp Oink, call Linda Jackson at (805) 525-PETS.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color in Conejo and SAC editions only) Evan Hess and one of his porky pals display one of the many shelters he and about 20 fellow Boy Scouts built Saturday for the residents of Camp Oink in Upper Ojai.

(2--color in Conejo edition only) Members of Scout Troop 718 in Thousand Oaks use teamwork to finish a pig shelter at the camp.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News