Couple Adopts Pet Pig From SPCA, Later Slaughters It For Food

Killing your pets to use as food may seem like something the Donner Party would do, but a British Columbia couple did just that, turning their newly adopted pig into pork within a month of owning it.

The three-year-old Vietnamese potbellied pig, named Molly, came to the Cowichan branch of the SPCA following an animal cruelty investigation. She was later adopted by an unnamed couple in mid-January, according to Global News Canada. The couple quickly realized they had no idea how to properly raise a pig, however, and made the decision to slaughter and eat it last week instead of returning it to the SPCA.

The owners apparently sent out videos and pictures of them seasoning and preparing the pork on Snapchat, which is how word got out that the pig had been killed. Staff at the Cowichan SPCA were reportedly “devastated,” according to general manager of community relations Lorie Chortyk. “We would never adopt out an animal to be used for food,” she told Global News Canada.

While many feel like the couple should be charged for what they did, they were within their rights to kill the pig. “It’s not illegal to kill your own animal in Canada,” Chortyk explained. “Someone can take a gun and shoot their dog in the head and as long as the dog dies instantly, unfortunately there’s no law against that.”

The Cowichan SPCA did send constables out to the couple’s home, and confirmed that Molly was slaughtered humanely. As the pig wasn’t left to suffer, they won’t be facing any charges. However, the man who adopted her won’t be allowed back in the BC SPCA for the rest of his life.