A Kunekune escapes by grazing through, not digging out
The Kunekune is a grazing pig, bred to thrive on pasture with far less rooting than larger commercial breeds, and her escapes usually look accidental even when they are not. She follows grass nose-down along a fence line, finds the one place where the ground dips and the bottom wire rides high, and simply keeps grazing through it, emerging on the other side still eating. She is also round, strong, and sociable, happy to lean companionably against a panel while standing with you, and a whole small herd leaning together moves a lightly fixed panel more than owners expect. Your check is therefore mainly about ground contact over uneven land, plus honest pressure-testing of the panels she treats as furniture.
Follow the bottom line over every dip and rise
Walk the fence on the outside first, looking back at ground level, because the grazing route out is easier to spot from where she ends up. Kneel at each hollow, gateway, and stream crossing and sight along the bottom edge: if daylight shows under wire or a panel while you are at her eye height, her head will fit, and a Kunekune who can get her head and one shoulder through can usually wriggle the rest after. Pin, weight, or board those low stretches so the barrier follows the contour rather than bridging it, and clear tussocks that hide a genuine gap behind a screen of grass.
Inside, push each panel and rail at low and mid height with steady pressure rather than a shove, mimicking a leaning pig, and watch the fixings rather than the panel itself, since staples and ties give way before sound material does. Check corners where two fence runs meet at an angle she can work into, and look for worn bare patches along the line that show where the herd stands and leans daily. Where an electric strand is part of the setup, test it at the furthest point and keep it clear of long wet grass that drains its effect, remembering that a thick-coated Kunekune needs the strand positioned where her nose, not her insulated flank, meets it first.
Gates, hurdles, and the sociable lean test
Close every gate and then check the three gaps a grazing pig uses: underneath, at the latch side, and at the hinge side where a sagging gate leaves a triangle. Push the closed gate outward from low down, lift it to see whether worn hinges let it rise and swing over a stop, and confirm the latch holds when the gate is leaned on rather than only when it hangs still. Temporary hurdles deserve the same suspicion, since Kunekunes learn that a hurdle edge can be nosed aside, so pin or tie hurdles at both ends and at ground level, not just at the top where people reach easily. If the herd rushes the gate at feeding time, feed away from it or scatter feed inside the paddock so the daily crowd pressure lands on stronger fencing instead.
Recheck with the seasons and the grazing
Repeat the low-line walk when pasture is rested and moved, after heavy rain reshapes hollows, and whenever you find the herd grazing suspiciously close along one stretch, because attention from several pigs marks the weak place before it opens. Rotate grazing before they have eaten the inside edge bare while rich grass stands untouched beyond the wire, which removes the motive for most testing. If a Kunekune still follows her nose into a neighbour's garden, her listing on KinsLe under the Lost Pet Alert System lets households nearby know she is out and helps the householder who finds her get in touch while you come to collect her.