A California family’s missing pet pig was found but while police went to get the animal’s owners, someone slaughtered their beloved pet.
The pig wandered around the neighborhood and was spotted by locals.
“Found a massive pig in our yard this morning up Fickle Hill,” Humboldt Paws Cause wrote, citing an individual named Brianne.
A lively discussion ensued about animals on the loose and whether the missing animal was a pot-bellied pig or someone’s 4H/FFA youth development project.
‘A Really Bizarre Case’
The story, however, took an unexpected turn.When the officer returned about an hour later to retrieve Princess, however, the animal had already been butchered.
“Obviously that was a bit of a shock to everyone involved. ... Given the stage of the butchering process he was in, he must have slaughtered the pig very shortly after the officer left,” Dockweiler said, SF Gate reported.
The police told SF Gate that the man who slaughtered the pig was not the neighbor they had come to an arrangement with, but someone else who was on the man’s property with his permission.
APD Chief Brian Ahearn said it’s hard to believe what happened.
“We were totally shocked and surprised to learn that the pig had been slaughtered,” Ahearn said, adding, “there was no reason to believe that that individual was going to do that.”
Carrie Hogan, the pig’s owner, was horrified Princess had been butchered.
The Hogan family had raised the animal since it was a piglet.
Chief Ahearn said prosecutors at the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office would determine whether Princess’s killing amounts to a punishable crime.
The Reactions
When Humboldt Paws Cause posted the sad update, people responded with shock.“What the heck happened? Where does someone take it upon himself to kill someone else’s pet/family member? Why didn’t the police hold on to it or get ahold of the owners? Could have called someone in the 4 H group or the FFA people!!! Someone mentioned earlier that it belonged to one of their students and it was under control. The officer who placed the pig into that man’s so-called care and the man who killed the pig, should both be punished.???”
“I’m following this case, and looking forward to his name being released. I hope he’s charged with more than just “theft of livestock.” I'd like to see him used to set a precedence of pig abusers being punished as severely as cat and dog abusers. If anyone sees updates, please tag me, or contact me directly.”
“This is sad. Pig Princess looks like she was such a fine porker and loving family pet. Pigs are among the smartest animals that God created and mankind has treated its pigs with great cruelty and this is part of the great pattern of cruelty toward these intelligent and loving creatures. This particular pig was a pet and family member. Its slaughter is no less than murder. The person who did this should be subjected to an appropriate level of scorn and ridicule.”
Hogan is now fighting to retrieve Princess’s meat, according to MailOnline.
“I think that the hardest part of this is knowing that there’s somebody out there that’s this kind of savage,” she said.
