In case you thought 2026 couldn’t get any weirder, someone left a severed bloody pig leg outside at the Cove in Auburndale, police reported on social media this weekend.

“The Newton Police Department was recently notified that an unknown individual left what appeared to be a full pig leg or flank just off a walking trail near Flowed Meadow at the Cove in Auburndale,” the Facebook post, accompanied by a picture of the precarious porcine limb in question reads. “A red flag and note were also found at the site. It is not yet known whether the meat was left to feed wildlife, to lure animals for hunting or some other unknown reason.”

Police did not say in the announcement what was written in the note.

Whatever the reason for the mystery meat, state law prohibits hunting on conservation land, including the Cove, and MassWildlife urges residents to not feed wildlife, as it can train them to rely on humans for food and can cause issues in neighborhoods where animals get comfortable hunting and foraging.

Newton has had a spike in sightings of coyotes and other predatory wildlife, as erasure and development of wilderness across the region has pushed wild animals into densely settled neighborhoods in search of food.

Police are investigating the swine stump scandal and ask anyone with information to call Newton Police Animal Control at 617‑796‑2109, Environmental Police at 1‑800‑632‑8075, or the NPD Anonymous Tip Line at 617‑796‑2121.