Ventura St. Paddy's Day parade mascot Sham Hock missing

VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) -- In Ventura, Sham Hock, a giant green inflatable pig is a ham on the lam. The large hog is the face of Ventura County's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, and its gone missing.

"He's 12 feet tall and 20 feet long. Sham Hock is our mascot. Families and kids love the green pig," Tim O'Neil said.

O'Neil has been on the parade's committee for 25 years, which is just as long as Sham Hock. Now that St. Patty's Day is only a week away, the missing pig is becoming a big deal.

Sham Hock was last spotted outside of a storage facility. Some parade volunteers had left him unattended outside for a few moments and that's when he was pig-napped.

"We haven't filed a police report yet, but after this weekend we're seriously considering doing that because then it becomes more serious for us," O'Neil said.

O'Neil is hoping Sham Hock's disappearance is just a simple prank, which has been the case in the past. The parade committee is offering $100 to anyone who finds Sham Hock.

"We're a volunteer organization so that's a lot of money for us," O'Neil said.